PUBLICATIONS 

OF   THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


AMERICANA  GERMANIGA 

MONOGRAPHS  DEVOTED  TO  THE  COMPARATIVE 
STUDY  OF  THE 

Literary,  Linguistic  and  Other  Cultural  Relations 

OF 

Germany  and  America 

EDITOR 

MARION    DEXTER    LEARNED 

University  of  Pennsylvania 

(See  List  at  the  End  of  the  Book] 


FRIEDRICH  ARMAND  STRUKBERG 

[After  the  Portrait  in  possession  of  Frau  Inspektor  Lenkmann,  Kassel.] 


THE  LIFE  AND  WORKS 


OF 


FRIEDRICH  ARMAND  STRUBBERG 


By 


PRESTON  ALBERT  BARBA,  PH.  D. 

Sometime  Research  Fellow  in  Germanics  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
Instructor  in  German  at  Indiana  University 


Qmericana  (Bermantca 

VOLUMR  16. 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 
1913 


COPYRIGHT  1913 

BY 

PRESTON  A.  BARBA. 


AFFECTIONATELY    INSCRIBED 

TO 
MY   OLD    TEACHER 

WILHELM  WACKERNAGEL 

MUHLENBERG   COLLEGE 


382077 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER.  Page 

I.      Introduction.     The    Exotic   Element    in    German 

Fiction  Before  Strubberg 1 1 

II.      The  Biography  of  Strubberg 27 

III.      The  Works  of  Strubberg 62 

APPENDIX. 

1.  A  Chronological  List  of  the  Editions  of  Strub- 

berg's  Works  139 

2.  Letters   141 

3.  Two  Episodes   148 


PREFACE 

This  monograph  is  an  extension  of  a  dissertation  presented 
to  the  Committee  of  the  Department  of  Philosophy  of  the  Uni 
versity  of  Pennsylvania  in  partial  fulfilment  of  the  requirements 
for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 

Its  purpose  is  to  restore  an  interesting  figure  in  the  history 
of  the  cultural  relations  of  Germany  and  America  to  his  rightful 
place  as  a  pioneer  and  writer.  Once  a  popular  chronicler  of  Ger 
man  emigration  to  Western  America,  and  of  Indian  life  there, 
Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  suffered  the  misfortune  of  passing 
into  oblivion  when  German  emigration  ceased  and  the  Indian  him 
self  had  become  little  more  than  a  name.  For  the  historian  to 
continue  longer  to  neglect  Strubberg  would  be  adding  injustice 
to  misfortune. 

I  wish  to  express  here  my  sincere  gratitude  to  Professor 
Marion  D.  Learned,  who  suggested  the  subject,  and  to  Professor 
Daniel  B.  Shumway,  both  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  for 
the  kind  encouragement,  aid  and  criticism,  which  they  have 
given  me  in  the  course  of  this  work. 

I  am  indebted  also  to  not  a  few  persons  for  having  fur 
nished  me  with  valuable  material.  Of  these  I  mention  the  dialect- 
poet  Karl  Heinz  Hill,  of  Wiesbaden;  Kanzleirat  C.  Neuber,  Post- 
direktor  a.  D.  George  Wolff,  and  Fran  Inspektor  Lenkmann,  of 
Kassel;  Herr  Franz  Berck  and  Herr  Ebert,  of  Gelnhausen,  and 
Frau  Geheimrat  Frese,  of  Bad  Wildungen,  all  of  whom  had 
been  friends  of  the  author. 

Further,  I  am  under  special  obligations  to  Paul  Heidelbach, 
editor  of  Hessenland,  Kassel,  for  his  many  efforts  in  the  interests 
of  this  work. 

Finally,  I  wish  to  acknowledge  the  courtesies  extended  to 
me  by  Frau  Clara  Thorbecke  and  Herr  Julius  Thorbecke,  of 
Mannheim,  and  Oberst  von  Strubberg,  of  Erfurt,  relatives  of 

the  author. 

PRESTON  A.  BARBA. 

Indiana  University,  May,  1913. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 


CHAPTER  I. 
INTRODUCTION. 

The  Appearance  of  the  Exotic  Element  in  German  Fiction  before 

Strubberg. 

The  history  of  the  exotic  novel  in  German  Literature  still 
remains  to  be  written.  Such  a  history  would  certainly  not  begin 
with  Charles  Sealsfield  (Carl  Postl)  who  is  commonly  called  the 
father1  of  the  exotic  novel  in  Germany.  The  growth  of  the 
exotic  novel  has  been  a  slow  one  and  has  continued  during  many 
centuries.  Its  roots  consist  of  many  complicated  ramifications 
and  lie  deeply  embedded  in  that  peculiar  but  inherent  trait  in 
the  German  character  so  fittingly  termed  Der  Drang  in  die  Feme. 
A  love  for  the  exotic  and  an  adaptability  to  foreign  standards 
have  manifested  themselves  constantly  from  the  earliest  to  mod 
ern  times,  and  have  been  much  deplored  by  German  thinkers. 
An  Austrian  satirist  of  the  thirteenth  century,  the  so-called 
Seifried  Helbling,2  took  it  upon  himself  to  lash  the  German  for 
his  servitude  to  foreign  manners.  This  same  trait  has  frequently 
and  for  long  periods  of  time  enslaved  German  literature  and 
made  it  dependent  now  upon  the  French  and  the  English,  now 
upon  the  Italian  and  the  Spanish.3 


1  This  appellation  was  probably  first  given  Sealsfield  by  Rudolf  Gottschall. 
See  his  Portrdts  und  Studien.  i.  Bd.  1870,  p.  386;  also  his  Deutsche  National- 
literatur  des  19.  Jhs.,  4.  Bd.  1872,  p.  788. 

a  See  Seifried  Helbling.    Ed.  by  Hugo  Hildebrand  in  D.  N.  L.  Bd.  IX. 

3  Cf.  Wilhelm  Lindemann :  Geschichte  der  deutsch.  Lit.,  7.  Aufl.  1898,  p. 
874. 


12  Friedrich  Armand  Stntbbcrg 

The  first  great  channel  for  the  induction  of  the  exotic  ele 
ment  into  German  literature  was  that  of  the  Crusades.  'Through 
their  contact  with  the  East,"  writes  Robertson,  "the  Crusaders 
threw  open  a  new  world  to  the  European  imagination.  The 
strange  peoples  and  customs,  the  unfamiliar  plants  and  animals, 
the  rich  textures,  precious  stones,  and  fabulous  wealth  of  the 
Orient  had  a  peculiar  fascination  for  the  western  mind,  and  a 
childish  delight  in  these  wonders  re-echoes  through  medieval 
poetry  until  long  after  the  classical  renaissance  in  Italy." 4 
The  first  Eastern  literature  brought  into  Europe  by  the  Crusaders 
was  the  Latin  version  of  an  Alexander  saga  which  was  trans 
lated  into  German  from  the  French  Chanson  d'  Alexandre  by  the 
priest  Lamprecht  about  1140.  The  first  direct  embodiment  of 
such  Oriental  material,  however,  was  in  the  epics  of  Konig  Rother 
(ca.  1160)  and  Herzog  Ernst  (ca.  1180).  In  Graf  Rudolf  (ca. 
1170),  a  Thuringian  poem,  Eastern  material  has  also  been 
employed.5  Further  mention  of  the  numberless  later  instances  in 
which  exotic  material  has  been  employed  throughout  the  pro 
ductive  Middle  High  German  period  of  German  literature  would 
be  out  of  place  here. 

In  the  fifteenth  century  another  exotic  element,  outside  of 
that  which  manifested  itself  in  literature  as  such,  made  itself 
felt  in  the  form  of  certain  works  on  travel.  In  1356  Sir  John 
Maundeville  had  written  his  famous  Travels  in  French.  The 
first  German  translation  probably  dates  from  1430.°  Maunde- 
ville's  Travels  contain  more  fiction  than  truth.  Gradually,  how 
ever,  descriptions  of  travel  came  to  be  based  on  more  scientific 
observation  and  the  fictitious  took  a  less  significant  place.  In 
1534  Sebastian  Frank  published  his  Weltbuoch:  Spiegel  und  bildt- 
niss  des  gantzen  erdbodens,  etc.,  in  Tubingen.  In  1544  Sebastian 
Miinster  (once  a  Franciscan  monk,  later  Professor  at  Basel) 


4  See  John  G.  Robertson :  A  Hist,  of  Germ.  Lit.    1902,  p.  51. 

6  Cf.  Paul  Piper :  Die  Spielmannsdichtung.    D.  N.  L.  2.  Bd. 

*  This  translation  was  in  Low  German.  A  High  German  translation  by 
Michael  Velser,  was  printed  in  Augsburg,  1481. 

Cf.  Aug.  Koberstein :  Geschichte  d.  deutsch.  Nationalist.  Lpz.  1872,  I. 
Bd.,  p.  414. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  13 

published  his  Cosmo  graphia  Beschreibung  alter  lender,  etc.,  in 
Basel.  A  century  later,  in  1647,  appeared  Adam  Olearius'  Neue 
Orient  alische  Relsebeschreibung.  These  works  manifest  a  de 
cided  step  toward  the  emancipation  of  the  real  from  the  fabulous. 
Their  isolated  position,  however,  prevented  them  from  giving 
German  literature  a  direct  impulse  in  favor  of  the  exotic. 

The  second  great  channel  through  which  the  exotic  element 
actually  entered  German  literature,  and  more  particularly  the 
field  of  the  novel,  was  the  introduction  of  the  Spanish  romance  of 
roguery.  Mendozas'  picaresque  Lazarillo  de  Tonnes  (1554)  had 
been  translated  into  German  in  1617.  The  first  fruit  of  Mendoza's 
romance  in  Germany  was  Grimmelshausen's  Simplicius  Sim- 
plicissimus,  which  appeared  in  1669.  In  these  romances  the 
rogues  were  left  to  wander  through  various  foreign  countries, 
thus  affording  the  author  ample  opportunity  for  the  introduction 
of  exotic  material.  Parallel  with  the  romances  of  roguery  were 
the  romances  of  "gallant"  adventure.  Of  these  we  must  men 
tion  here  Philipp  von  Zesen's  Adriatische  Rosemund  (1645), 
and  H.  A.  von  Ziegler's  Asiatische  B anise  (1688).  The  scene  of 
the  latter  is  laid  in  the  East  and  betrays  an  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  author  to  give  the  story  a  tropical  milieu. 

With  the  translation  of  Daniel  Defoe's  Robinson  Crusoe 
(1719)  into  German  in  1720,  we  come  to  the  third  great  channel. 
This  translation  was  followed  in  the  eighteenth  century  by  no 
less  than  sixty  Robinsonades  of  every  conceivable  nature.7  Of 
all  these  Robinsonades  the  most  important  is  Ins  el  Felsenburg, 
written  by  J.  G.  Schnabel  and  published  between  1731  and  1743. 
The  hero,  dismayed  by  the  baleful  results  of  the  Thirty  Years' 
War,  leaves  Germany  to  find  a  new  home  in  some  foreign  coun 
try;  he  is,  however,  shipwrecked  on  the  lonely  island  of  Felsen 
burg  where  he  becomes  the  founder  of  a  modern  Utopia. 
Whether  Defoe  had  any  "Tendenz"  motives  in  his  Robinson 
Crusoe  is  a  question  not  yet  definitely  answered.  It  remains  cer- 


TCf.  August  Kippenberg:  Robinson  in  DeutschJand  bis  zur  Insel  Felsen 
burg.    Diss.  Hannover,  1892. 


14  Frledrich  Armand  Strubberg 

tain  that  some  of  its  imitations,  especially  Insel  Felsenburg,  were 
"Tendenz"  novels.  Robertson  thinks  they  "give  voice  for  the 
first  time  to  that  repugnance  to  civilisation  and  desire  for  a 
return  to  nature  which  Rousseau  made  a  turning-point  in  the 
history  of  European  thought."  8  Through  the  great  number  of 
imitations  and  adaptations  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  among  which 
were  a  Spanish,  French,  Italian,  Dutch,  Swiss,  and  even  an  Amer 
ican  Robinson,  a  vast  amount  of  exotic  material  entered  German 
literature. 

Through  the  above-named  channels  the  exotic  element  made 
its  appearance  in  German  literature  prior  to  the  nineteenth  cen 
tury.  This  earlier  element  can  be  recognized  only  as  an  indirect 
factor  in  the  history  of  the  exotic  novel.  During  the  last  years 
of  the  eighteenth  and  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
however,  three  forces  were  at  work  which  gave  the  exotic  novel 
a  direct  impact,  and  may  in  reality  be  considered  as  its  molding 
factors. 

The  first  of  these  forces  was  a  social  one,  and  is  to  be  found 
primarily  in  the  works  of  Rousseau,  whose  ideas  on  nature  as 
expressed  in  his  works  La  Nouvelle  Helo'ise  (1760),  Emile 
(1762),  and  the  Contrat  social  (1762),  soon  made  themselves 
felt  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Europe.  Their  influ 
ence  was  soon  at  work  in  Germany.  La  Nouvelle  Helo'ise  was 
translated  into  German  in  1761.  The  youthful  Wieland,  who 
had  already  turned  away  from  his  early  pietism,  fell  under  Rous 
seau's  sway,  and  published  in  1764  Der  Sieg  der  Natur  iiber  die 
Schwarmerey  oder  die  Abentheuer  des  Don  Sylvio  von  Rosalva. 
La  Nouvelle  Helo'ise  had  also  inspired  Goethe  in  his  Werther. 
The  nature  view  in  these  German  works  was  little  akin,  how 
ever,  to  that  objective  view  of  nature  which  manifested  itself  in 
the  French  works  following  in  the  wake  of  Rousseau's  teachings. 
In  1784  Bernardin  de  Saint-Pierre  (1737-1814),  who  from  his 
earliest  youth  had  entertained  the  project  of  establishing  a 
colony  on  some  island  in  the  South  Sea  after  the  fashion  of 


'  See  Robertson :  Hist,  of  Germ.  Lit.,  p.  231. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  15 

Robinson  Crusoe,  wrote  his  Etudes  de  la  Nature  in  which  is  con 
tained  in  his  literary  masterpiece  Paul  et  Virginie.  In  this  work 
the  author  gave  Rousseau's  nature  pedagogy  its  most  delightful 
literary  form.  Significant,  too,  is  the  exotic  element  in  the 
author's  minute  description  of  natural  objects  as  found  on  the 
Isle  de  France.  In  the  same  work  Paul  et  Virginie  is  followed 
by  the  less  significant  tale  La  Chaumiere  Indienne.  St.  Pierre's 
work  only  helped  to  exaggerate  that  worship  of  nature  and  that 
extravagant  admiration  for  man  in  his  primitive  state,  which 
was  then  so  fashionable.9  This  age,  in  which  sentiment  played 
so  large  a  p,art,  finally  found  the  object  for  its  affections  in  the 
American  Indian.  The  cultivation  of  this  interest  in  the  Ameri 
can  Indian,  or  rather  the  American  Indian  a  la  Rousseau,  is  due 
largely  to  Chateaubriand  (1768-1848),  who  like  most  other 
young  men  of  the  times  shared  the  unbounded  admiration  for 
Rousseau.  He  was  big  with  the  theories  of  the  Contrat  Social 
and  sought  to  give  them  literary  form.  In  the  spring  of  1791 
Chateaubriand  came  to  America  where  he  seems  to  have  traveled 
extensively  and  even  dwelt  among  the  Indians.10 

In  the  life  and  manners  of  the  American  Indian  Chateau 
briand  found  the  material  for  his  contemplated  work.  For  the 
basis  of  it  he  took  the  story  of  the  revolt  of  the  Indians  of 
Louisiana  in  1727  against  the  Europeans  who  had  encroached 
upon  the  rights  of  the  red  man,  and  the  massacre  of  the  colony  at 
Natchez.  His  work  Natchez  was  the  result.  Though  written 
before  1800  it  was  first  published  in  1826.  His  Atala  appeared 
in  1 80 1.  In  neither  of  these  works  does  Chateaubriand,  in  spite 


9  The  Etudes  de  la  Nature  appeared  in  German  as  Betrachtungen  iiber 
die  Natur;  aus  d.  Franzos.  2  Thle.  8.  Gorlitz,  1795,  96. 

10  The  extent  of  Chateaubriand's  travels  in  America  has  been  the  subject 
for  some  dispute. 

Cf.  Anonymous  Article :  The  Works  of  Chateaubriand  in  Amer.  Quart. 
Rev.  Dec.  1827,  p.  458  f. 

Cf.  also  Joseph  Bedier:  Chateaubriand  en  Amerique:  Verite  et  Fiction 
in  his  fLtudes  Critiques,  Paris,  1903. 

J.  Schmidt  in  his  Gschte.  d.  Franz.  Lit.,  Lpz.,  1873,  p.  300,  says:  "Der 
Verfasser  selbst  hatte — freilich  nur  auf  Wochen — den  Einfall  gehabt,  Krieger 
eines  Indianerstammes  zu  werden:  dem  Pesthauch  der  Civilization  soweit  als 
moglich  entflohen,  bis  hinein  in  die  bestiale  Wildheit!" 


1 6  Friedrich  Armand  Strnbbcrg 

of  his  travels  in  America,  seeem  to  be  desirous  of  giving  an 
objective  picture  of  conditions  among  the  Indians  as  they  were. 
Of  course,  he  saw  with  the  eyes  of  a  romanticist  and  in  Atala 
he  gives  his  romantic  spirit  unrestrained  freedom.  Under  his 
hands  the  sturdy  red  man  of  the  American  forests  became  a 
French  salon-Indian.  In  Atala  there  is  little  of  real  ethno 
graphic  value.  The  local  coloring  is  exaggerated  and  not  infre 
quently  false.11 

The  works  of  Chateaubriand  were  largely  responsible  for 
that  romantic  attitude  toward  the  American  Indian,  and  the  wild, 
primitive  conditions  of  nature  round  about  him  which  have  pre 
vailed  to  a  great  extent  ever  since.  Indirectly  they  were 
re-echoed  in  Germany  in  various  forms.12  Among  the  most 
common  was  Johann  Gottfried  Seume's  13  (1763-1810)  famous 
poem  Der  Wilde^ 

The  second  force,  also  external,  was  a  purely  literary  one, 
and  came  partly  with  the  introduction  of  Scott  into  Germany; 
partly  also  with  the  introduction  of  Cooper.  The  condition  of 
the  German  novel  in  the  first  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century 
was  a  rather  precarious  one.  To  quote  Barthel :  ".  .  .  die 


"The  author  himself  seems  to  have  felt  the  necessity  of  defending  the 
verity  of  his  American  descriptions,  for  in  a  later  preface  (1805)  to  Atala  et 
Rene  we  read :  "Quand  on  trouve  dans  un  auteur  vine  circonstance  qui  ne  fait 
pas  beaute  en  elle-meme  et  qui  ne  sert  qu'a  donner  de  la  ressemblance  au  tab 
leau,  si  cet  auteur  a  d'ailleurs  montre  quelque  sens  commun,  il  seroit  assez 
naturel  de  supposer  qu'il  n'a  pas  invente  cette  circonstance  et  qu'il  n'a  fait  que 
rapporter  une  chose  reelle,  bien  qu'elle  ne  soit  pas  tres-commune.  Rien  n'em- 
peche  qu'on  ne  trouve  Atala  une  mechante  production,  mais  j'ose  dire  que  la 
nature  americaine  y  est  peinte  avec  la  plus  scrupuleuse  exactitude.  C'est  une 
justice  que,  lui  rendent  tous  les  voyageurs  qui  ont  visite  la  Louisiane  et  les 
Florides.  Les  deuxtraductionsangloises  d' Atala  sont  parvenuesen  Amerique,  les 
papiers  publics  ont  annonce  en  outre,  une  troisieme  traduction  publiee  a  Phila- 
delphie  ayec  succes.  Si  les  tableaux  de  cette  histoire  eussent  manque  de  verite, 
auroient-ils  reussi  chez  un  peuple  qui  pouvoit  dire  a  chaque  pas:  Ce  ne  sont 
pas  la  nos  fleuves,  nos  montagnes,  nos  forets.  Atala  est  retournee  au  desert 
et  il  semble  que  sa  patrie  1'ait  reconnue  pour  veritable  enfant  de  la  solitude." 

12  Atala  appeared  in  German  in  the  same  year  of  its  publication.    Atala. 
Aus  dem  Franzosischen  v.  K.  F.  Cramer.    8.  Leipzig,  1801. 

13  Seume  had  been  kidnapped  by  Hessian  recruiting-officers  while  on  his 
way  to  Paris,  and  dragged  to  America  where  he  was  forced  to  fight  against 
the  Americans  in  their  struggle  for  independence  from  England. 

14  For  various  other  sporadic  poetic  idealizations  of  the  American  Indian 
before  Der  Wilde  of  Seume,  see  The  Influence  of  the  American  Revolution 
upon  German  Literature,  by  J.  T.  Hatfield  and  E.  Hochbaum  in  Americana 
Germanic  a.    Vol.  3. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  17 

poetischen  Stoffe  waren  durch  unsere  Heroen  der  Literatur  in 
gewissem  Sinne  erschopft.  Goethe  hatte  das  innere  Gemiitsleben 
des  Menschen,  vorziiglich  in  seinem  Zwiespalte,  dargestellt; 
Schiller  dagegen  hatte  das  bewegte  Leben  der  Weltgeschichte, 
verklart  durch  die  Idee  der  politischen  und  menschlichen  Frei- 
heit,  zur  Darstellung  gebracht.  So  lag  eine  ganze  Welt  poeti 
schen  Gehalts  fertig.  Wo  nun  neue  Stoffe  hernehmen?"15  The 
answer  came  with  the  introduction  of  the  works  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott  into  Germany. 

In  the  year  1815  German  translations  of  Scott  were  pub 
lished.  Up  to  1830  the  works  of  Scott  may  be  said  to  have  com 
manded  the  literary  interest  of  Germany  almost  exclusively.16 
The  historical  novels  of  Scott  and  their  many  imitations  in  Ger 
many  must  concern  us  here  for  several  reasons :  First,  Scott  was 
an  advocate  of  truthful  and  minute  description.  He  taught  the 
Germans  to  take  an  interest  in  their  past,  and  describe  that  past 
with  all  the  minuteness  of  reality  that  the  study  of  antiquity  then 
permitted.  Through  this  lesson  the  Germans  also  directed  their 
attention  more  closely  to  the  present.17  This  was  a  decided  step 
toward  that  realism,  which  found  one  of  its  chief  exponents  in 
the  exotic  novel.  Secondly,  Scott  introduced  into  his  works  all 
classes  of  society;  especially  did  he  love  to  introduce  the  peasant, 
with  his  healthy  and  often  rather  gruff  humor,  with  his  man 
ners,  customs,  and  superstitions.  The  peasant  had  hitherto 
played  a  very  insignificant  role  in  the  novel.  With  the  introduc 
tion  of  the  lower  classes  into  German  fiction  was  made  the  first 
step  toward  the  realization  of  the  "Nebeneinander"  novel,  of 
which  the  exotic  novel  must  be  considered  a  phase. 

The  appearance  of  Cooper's  novels,  and  especially  those  of 
the  Leatherstocking  Tales,  drew  the  attention  of  all  Europe  to 
America.  Cooper's  works  were  being  translated  into  German 


15  See  K.  Barthel's   Vorlesungen  iiber  die  deutsch.  Nationallit.  der  Neu- 
zeit,  p.  2  f. 

16  Cf.  H.  Mielke :  Der  deutsche  Roman,  p.  9. 

17  See  Mielke:  Der  deutsche  Roman,  p.  98:   "Der  histprische  Roman  Wal 
ter  Scotts  fiihrte  die  romantischen  Geister  aus  ihrer  idyllischen  oder  dusteren 
Traumwelt  der  Wirklichkeit  und  ihrer  Poesie  naher." 


1 8  Friedrich  Arniand  Strubberg 

constantly  since  i826.18  The  peculiar  nature  of  Cooper's  material 
prohibited  his  imitators  from  transplanting  their  imitations  into 
German  soil  as  Alexis  had  done  with  the  works  of  Scott.  Con 
sequently  a  number  of  writers  appeared  who  initiated  Cooper 
bodily;  others,  however,  had  themselves  been  in  America  and 
wrote  from  personal  experience,  though  they  also  owed  much  to 
Cooper.  These  writers  will  receive  attention  further  on.  In  the 
works  of  Cooper,  then,  we  must  recognize  the  most  potent  of 
those  literary  forces,  which  led  to  the  dependence  of  the  German 
exotic  novel  in  so  large  a  measure  upon  America. 

The  third  force  was  a  political  one  and  came  with  the  move 
ment  known  as  "Young  German."  The  Wars  of  Liberation 
had  left  little  hope  for  a  united  Fatherland  in  the  heart  of  the  Ger 
man  patriot.  That  little  hope  had  been  extinguished  wholly  by 
the  "Deutscher  Bund"  of  1814.  Napoleon,  rather  cosmopolitan 
in  his  tastes,  had  showed  little  respect  for  boundaries.  National 
consciousness  among  the  Germans  was  again  losing  ground.  The 
young  students  of  Hegelian  philosophy  were  entertaining  beauti 
ful  day-dreams  of  a  "world  republic,"  when  the  July  Revolution 
broke  forth  and  spread  its  ferment  beyond  the  mere  literary 
agitators.  The  Young  Germans  were  prostituting  literature  to 
politics.  Little  of  permanent  value  was  produced  in  the  novel 
which  did  not  have  a  direct  political  end. 

The  discontent  of  the  times  reached  a  hysterical  climax  in 
Ernst  Willkomm's  novel  Der  Europamilde  (1838).  As  a  novel 
it  possesses  little  value.  Its  characters  are  personifications  of 
ideas  rather  than  living  flesh  and  blood.  It  is  lyrical,  too,  rather 
than  epical.  Here  it  is  of  interest  inasmuch  as  it  directs  the  dis 
content  and  yearnings  for  a  better  state  toward  America.  The 
first  part  of  the  work  ends  with  a  very  significant  prophecy,  in 
which  the  interesting  idea  of  a  German  America  is  entertained: 
"Dann,  Raimund,  denke  ich  zuriick  in  hohem,  heiligen  Schmerz 
an  meine  Mutterwelt,  die  ich  fliehen  musste,  um  ein  Mensch  zu 
bleiben,  und  greife  zur  Feder,  die  ich  dem  Schweif  des  Flamingo 
entreise,  und  schreibe  die  Schmerzen  Europa's,  decke  auf  seine 


"The  writer  expects  to  publish  a  work  on  Cooper  in  German  Literature 
in  the  near  future. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strnbberg  19 

Gebrechen,  singe  seinen  Jammer  und  heile  sein  Weh,  indem  ich 
seine  Kinder  zum  Bewusstsein  ihres  Ungliicks  bringe.  .  .  .  Ich  will 
Europa's  poetische  Liebe  verpflanzen  in  Amerika's  poetische  Ur- 
welt.  Da  soil  ein  Geschlecht  entstehen  mit  deutschem  Blut,  deut- 
scher  Ausdauer,  deutschem  Gemiith  und  cleutscher  Glaubens- 
kraftigkeit,  das  sich  Leben  gesogen  hat  aus  dem  unversiegbaren 
Born  der  Freiheit.  Hinter  mir  schon  seh'  ich  die  Leuchtfeuer 
der  Kiiste  versinken,  dunkel  schattet  die  Nacht  tiber  dem  Meere, 
aber  der  Morgen  ziindet  an  einer  neuen  Kiiste  die  begriissenden 
Flammen  an.  Die  Apalachen  spriihen  im  Morgenroth  wie  Rie- 
senhelme  empor,  zum  Himmel  stiirmen  die  Zypressen  am  Missis 
sippi,  und  tragen  die  stolze  Frage  hinauf :  Ob  es  wohl  erlaubt  sei, 
auf  Erden  gottlich  frei  zu  sein  neben  Gott?" — The  second  part 
ends  with :  "Lebt  wohl  in  Europa !  Vom  Ufer  des  Mississippi 
schreib'  ich  Euch  wieder." 

Each  of  the  three  forces  enumerated,  the  social,  the  literary 
and  the  political,  remarkable  as  it  may  be,  pointed  westward 
toward  America.  They  had  joined  to  increase  the  German's  love 
for  and  interest  in  America.  "Das  neue  Land  der  blauen  Blume 
aber"  says  Mielke,  "hiess  Amerika,  da  der  weltbiirgerliche  Geist 
dieser  Epoche  sich  auf  das  engste  verwandt  mit  jenen  Gesinnun- 
gen  fiihlte,  die  jenseits  des  Ozeans  aufgesprossen  waren  und 
Freiheit  und  Demokratie  hiessen."19  America  became  the  Mecca 
for  the  weary  and  the  oppressed  of  all  classes.  With  the  year 
1817  began  the  great  migrations  of  the  nineteenth  century.  In 
that  year  20,000  Germans  were  driven  by  hunger  to  the  shores 
of  America.20  Between  1820-30  only  about  15,000  Germans 
emigrated.21  These  migrations  were  due  in  part  to  political 
oppression,  but  thev  were  fostered  partly  also  by  certain  works 
then  appearing  in  Germany,  which  presented  America  in  most 
glowing  and  irresistible  terms.  The  book  which  above  all  others 
prompted  emigration  on  a  large  scale  was  Gottfried  Duden's  Be- 
richt  uber  eine  Rcise  nach  den  westlichen  Stoat  en  Nord-Amerikas 


19  See  Der  deutsche  Roman,  p.  171. 
20 Cf.  J.  Schmidt:  Gschte.  d.  deutsch.  Lit.    5.  Bd.,  p.  271. 
"Cf.  G.  Korner:  Das  deutsche  Element  in  den  Vereinigten  Staaten,  p. 
432. 


2O  Fried-rich  Armand  Strubberg 

und  einen  niehrjdhrigen  Anfenthalt  am  Missouri  in  den  Jahren 
1824,  1825,  1826,  1827,  in  Bezug  auf  Auswanderung  und  Ubcr- 
volkenmg,  etc.,  Bonn,  1829.  In  spite  of  other  works  such  as 
Ludwig  Gall's  Mcine  Auswanderung  nach  den  Vereinigten  Staa- 
tcn  in  Nord-Amerika,  im  Frilhjahr  1819  und  nieine  Rilckkehr 
nach  der  Heimath  im  Winter  1820.  Trier,  1822,  presenting  in 
the  most  pessimistic  manner  the  darker  sides  of  life  in  America, 
the  effects  of  Duden's  work  seem  to  have  suffered  no  neutraliza 
tion.  Societies  for  the  encouragement  and  assistance  of  emi 
grants  sprang  up  everywhere.  Members  of  every  class  of  society 
were  registered.  The  uprisings  in  1832  and  1833,  as  a  result  of 
the  "Bundestag's  Ordonnanzen"  of  1831  increased  emigration. 
Between  1831-40  the  number  of  emigrants  rose  to  almost 
i5O,ooo.22  America  had  become  a  common  meeting  ground  for 
all  nations.  The  intermingling  of  various  nationalities,  as  it 
occurred  in  America,  is  perhaps  unparalleled  in  history. 

If  ever  there  was  a  time  when  the  "Weltliteratur"23  at  which 
Goethe  had  hinted  could  have  been  realized,  it  was  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  nineteenth  century.  In  no  other  era  was  the  time 
for  such  a  "Weltliteratur"  so  opportune  as  then.  Never  had 
nations  been  so  closely  united,  nor  individuals  stood  within  such 
close  communication.  It  was  the  era  that  introduced  steam  and 
through  it  opened  up  possibilities  before  undreamed.  The  steam 
boat  and  the  locomotive  were  not  only  to  revolutionize  com 
merce,  but  through  them  literature,  and  especially  the  novel, 
was  to  take  on  new  life.  Spielhagen's  pregnant  essay  Die  epische 
Dichtung  unter  dem  wechselnden  Zeichen  des  Verkehrs,  though 
written  many  years  later,  applies  here.  In  it  he  says:  "Aber 
nicht  allein  bei  den  grossen  Fragen  der  Menschheit,  in  deren  Be- 
antwortung  sich  die  vorgeschrittenen  Geister  zu  alien  Zeiten  be- 
gegneten,  zeigt  die  moderne  Epik  in  ihren  sammtlichen  Erzeug- 
nissen  eine  sich  immer  steigende  Konvergenz;  auch  in  dem 
Kleinkram  der  Sitten  und  Gebrauche,  iiber  die  eine  Verstandi- 
gung  noch  viel  schwieriger  ist,  gleicht  der  Weltverkehr  die  tren- 


^Cf.  G.  Korner:  D.  deutsche  Element,  etc.,  p.  432. 

23  Cf.  Goethe's  Werke.    Cotta'sche  Ausg.  (Goedeke).    18.  Bd.,  pp.  64-66. 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  21 

nenden  Unterschiede  immer  mehr  aus.  .  .  .  Die  odysseeische 
Kenntniss  fremder  Lander,  Stadte  und  Sitten,  die  im  vorigen 
Jahrhundert  noch  als  Privileg  verhaltnissmassig  Weniger,  be- 
sonders  Wohlsituirter  war,  verschaffen  sich  heute  Tauseride  und 
Tausende  mit  dem  Aufwand  oft  recht  bescheidener  Mittel;  der 
Handwerker  von  heute  weiss,  wenn  nicht  durch  Autopsie,  vermit- 
telt  durch  sozialdemokratische  und  andere  Kongresse,  so  durch 
die  Lektiire  der  Zeitungen  mehr  von  den  okonomischen  und  sitt- 
lichen  Zustanden  der  anderen  Nationen  als  vormals  so  mancher 
Gelehrte.  Kann  es  uns  da  Wunder  nehmen,  wenn  der  Roman, 
das  Spiegelbild  des  Lebens,  eine  internationale  Physiognomic  ge- 
winnt?  .  .  .  Und  ganz  gewiss  ist  es  doch  eine  unabweisliche 
Konsequenz  des  Verkehres  von  heute,  dass  seine  Mittel  .  .  . 
ihren  Verfassern  eine  Welt  fruher  nicht  gekannter  Anregungen 
bieten,  Kombinationen  ermoglichen."24 

The  state  of  affairs  was  a  most  remarkable  one  but  more 
remarkable  still  was  the  indifference  on  the  part  of  the  writers  of 
"Young  Germany."  There  in  America  lay  a  vast  amount  of 
material  untouched,  a  splendid  and  absolutely  fresh  apparatus  for 
the  German  novelist.  Goethe,  always  a  pioneer,  was  not  unmind 
ful  of  the  great  source  for  literary  material  on  the  Western  Con 
tinent.  We  may  be  assured  that  it  was  only  the  advanced  age 
of  the  sage  of  Weimar,  which  prevented  him  from  himself 
employing  such  material.  Under  the  title  Stoff  und  Gehalt,  zur 
Bearbeltung  vorgeschlagen,™  dated  1827,  the  poet  makes  some 
very  interesting  suggestions  for  treating  American  material. 
But  Goethe's  advice  to  the  young  writers  of  his  old  age  as  to  the 
employment  of  such  material  remained  unheeded,  perhaps  for  the 
reason  that  none  of  the  literary  men  to  whom  it  was  directed  were 
sufficiently  acquainted  with  such  material.  The  exotic  novel  has 
shown  itself  to  be  peculiarly  the  product  of  the  literary  wanderer, 
who,  feeling  himself  too  circumscribed  by  national  boundaries, 
prefers  to  be  a  cosmopolitan. 

Such  a  wanderer  was  Carl  Postl,  born  in  the  Austrian  village 
of  Poppitz  in  1793.  Carl  Postl  early  entered  upon  a  church 


"See  Die  Zukunft,  17.  Bd.,  1896,  p.  172  f. 

25  See  Goethe's  Werke.    Cotta'sche  Ausg.  (Goedeke).    18.  Bd.,  p.  261  f. 


22  Fricdrich  Annand  Strnbberg 

career.  In  1813  he  entered  the  "Kreuzherrenstift,"  in  Prague 
as  a  novice  and  in  1814  was  dedicated  to  the  priesthood.  After 
a  number  of  years,  the  quiet  and  confinement  of  the  monastery 
became  too  oppressive  to  the  young  monk.  In  the  spring  of  1823 
Postl  fled  from  the  monastery  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
landed  in  New  Orleans.  In  America  and  to  the  world  at  large 
he  was  henceforth  Charles  Sealsfield.26  Between  the  years  1823 
and  1832  Sealsfield  lived  at  various  times  in  the  United  States, 
Mexico,  London,  and  Paris.  The  larger  part  of  this  period  was, 
however,  spent  in  the  two  first-named  countries.  During  his 
sojourns  there  he  had  been  a  close  observer  of  the  customs  and 
manners  of  the  people  and  had  taken  a  lively  interest  in  all  the 
phases  of  their  activities.  He  became  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  and  insisted  on  remainng  so  through  all  his  later  years  in 
Europe.  It  was  during  his  stay  in  America  that  he  first  con 
ceived  those  plans  through  which  he  created  a  new  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  German  novel.  Instead  of  having  a  single  char 
acter,  he  desired  to  operate  with  a  whole  people  as  his  hero;  its 
public  and  private  life,  social,  political,  and  religious,  the  clash 
and  conflict  of  the  various  cultures  and  nationalities  represented, 
wrere  all  to  be  depicted.27  It  was  a  large  program,  and  one  which 
demanded  a  man  who  was  not  confined  or  hampered  by  petty 
national  prejudices.  It  demanded  a  cosmopolitan,  who  stood 
above  and  could  gaze  down  upon  the  mad  racial  confusion  in  the 
New  World  with  an  objective  eye.  Charles  Sealsfield,  a  native 
of  Austria,  citizen  of  the  United  States  of  America,  an  author 
who  wrote  in  French,  German,  and  English,  was  certainly  such  a 
cosmopolitan.  German  literature  claims  him  only  for  the  reason 
that  he  chose  to  write  most  of  his  work  in  the  German  language. 
By  him  the  exotic  threads  were  finally  gathered  up  and  given  a 
distinct  literary  form. 

The  exotic  novel,  as  a  distinct  genre,  one  whose  scene  is  laid 
outside  the  country  in  whose  language  it  is  written,  one  which 
brings  together  various  nationalities,  carefully  delineating  their 


*Cf.  A.  B.  Faust:  Charles  Sealsfield,  der  Dichter  beider  Hemispharen. 
1897. 

*  Cf.  Brockhaus'  Conversationslexikon.     Sealsfield:  Selbstbiographie. 


Frledrich  Arniand  Strubberg  23 

ethnographic  distinctions  and  endeavoring  to  describe  the  phe 
nomena  of  nature  of  that  country  chosen  for  its  scene  of  action, 
which  considers  its  flora  and  its  fauna,  first  received  shape  at  the 
hands  of  Charles  Sealsfield. 

The  exotic  novel  must  in  a  sense  be  considered  as  an  out 
growth  of  the  historical  novel.  It  not  infrequently  hovers 
between  the  historical  novel  and  the  modern  "Zeitroman."  Like 
Scott,  Sealsfield  frequently  employed  material,  which  lay  beyond 
the  experience  of  his  own  generation,  but  yet  within  the  memory 
of  man.28  The  exotic  novel  links  hands  with  the  past  and  the 
present.  It  developed  along  with  the  "Zeitroman"  of  Gutzkow, 
Freytag,  and  Spielhagen,  and  may  be  considered  a  phase  of  the 
same.29  Even  more  than  the  "Zeitroman"  it  was  instrumental 
in  hastening  literary  activity  toward  that  realism  which  prevails 
in  the  novel  of  today.30  Sealsfield  was  aware  of  the  fact  that  he 
had  created  a  new  form  of  novelistic  literature  but  seems  to  have 
disclaimed  any  value  for  his  works  beyond  the  immediate  time 
in  which  they  were  read.  He  desired  no  new  editions  of  his 
works.  When  they  were  published  first,  their  realistic  accounts 
of  American  life  were  true.  In  a  land  where  conditions  were 
subject  to  such  rapid  changes,  however,  further  editions  would 
be  out  of  place.  In  America,  it  appeared  to  him,  people  cared  no 
longer  about  history;  they  lived  only  in  the  present.31 

For  us  of  today  it  is  in  just  this  historical  value  that  the 
significance  of  the  exotic  novel  lies.  This  significance  was  already 
apparent  to  a  publisher  of  Sealsfield's  who  in  his  preface  to  the 
first  edition  of  the  Cajutenbuch  in  1841  has  occasion  to  remark: 


28  Cf.  Sealsfield's  Der  Legitime  und  die  Republikaner.     1833. 

Also  Der  Virey  und  die  Aristokraten,  oder  Mexiko  im  Jahre  1812.    1834. 

29  Cf .  Faust's  Charles  Sealsfield,  p.  19. 

30  Sealsfield  remarked  to  Kertbenny :   "Ein  gut  Teil  daher  der  t)berra- 
schung  und   Fascinierung,   den   meine   Romane   hervorbrachten,   1st   weniger 
meiner  individuellen  Begabung  zuzuschreiben,  als  dem  Vprteile  fur  mich,  dass 
ich  als  erster  ein  derart  bestimmtes  Romangenre  in  die  deutsche  Literatur 
einfiihrte,  so  ungeniert  gleich  auf  diesem  Terrain  stehend,  als  ware  es  das 
langstgewohnte  auch   Deutschlands.     Dies    Genre  aber   heisst:    die   Realitat, 
jedoch  durch  tiefangelegte,  psychologische   Probleme  zu  kunstlerischem   In- 
teresse  daran,  gesteigert." 

See  Erinnerungen  an  Charles  Sealsfield,  von  K.  M.  Kertbenny,  1864,  p. 
78  f. 

*  See  Gottschall's  Portr'dts  und  Studien.    I.  Bd.,  p.  386. 


24  Fried-rich  Armand  Stnibbcrg 

"Sie  erinnern  sich,  dass  der  Verfasser  es  sich — zwar  nicht  zur 
Aufgabe  gemacht  hat,  .  .  .  aber  doch  den  Beruf  in  sich  zu  fiih- 
len  scheint,  die  Zcitgeschichte  und  ihre  wichtigeren  Momente  in 
lebendigen  plastischen  Bildern  der  Welt  darzustellen.  .  .  .  Zwar 
wiinschen  wir  die  Erwartung  des  Lesers  keinerdings  zu  hoch  zu 
spannen;  aber  so  viel  diirfen  wir  doch  getrost  sagen,  dass,  ob- 
wohl  dieses  Buch  keine  Pratension  auf  eigentlich  geschichtlichen 
Werth  erhebt,  der  tiefer  Blickende  doch  bald  finden  diirfte,  wie 
der  dichterischen  Hiille  etwas  sehr  wesentlich  Geschichtliches  zu 
Grunde  liege." — 

Sealsfield  was  the  first  to  carefully  portray  American  life  in 
its  diverse  forms  as  it  existed  in  the  early  decades  of  the  nine 
teenth  century.  Herein  lies  Sealsfield's  legacy  to  America. 
Sealsfield  has  photographed,  as  it  were,  a  period  in  American 
history,  which  as  to  realistic  detail  would  have  been  largely  lost 
to  us.  Our  own  American  novelists  have,  to  be  sure,  treated 
separate  phases  of  our  varied  American  life:  Hawthorne  has 
preserved  for  us  the  Puritan;  Bret  Harte  has  given  the  Chinaman 
a  place  in  our  literature;  and  George  Cable  the  Creoles  of  Louisi 
ana.  However  none  of  these  have  aimed  at  painting  us  on  a 
large  canvass  a  picture  of  American  life  at  some  period  in  the 
totality  of  that  period.  "The  blunt,  raw  differences  between 
conflicting  orders  of  civilization,"  writes  Lida  von  Krockow, 
"have  never  been  depicted  by  any  considerable  school  of  American 
novelists,  however  surprising  the  fact  must  appear,  when  one 
considers  the  history  and  conglomerate  population  of  America."  32 
To  depict  such  conflicting  orders  as  he  saw  them  in  America  was 
the  program  Sealsfield  undertook.  A  discussion  of  his  works 
would  be  out  of  place  here.  Sealsfield  has  fortunately  received 
careful  attention  and  is  still  engaging  the  attention  of  scholars 
today.33 

Sealsfield  was  succeeded  by  a  group  of  writers  of  the  exotic 
novel  who  have  not  been  so  fortunate.  Under  their  hands  the 
exotic  novel  began  to  assume  other  proportions.  It  no  longer 


82  See  American  Characters  in  Germ.  Lit.;  Atlantic  Monthly,  Dec.,  1891. 

83  Cf.  Faust's  Charles  Sealsfield.    Weimar,  1897. 


Friedrich  Arm  and  Strubberg  25 

confined  itself  to  America.  The  greater  number  of  Sealsfield's 
immediate  successors  did  identify  themselves  strictly  with 
America.  Some  of  them  have  received  a  casual  line  in  the  works 
of  a  few  of  our  literary  historians,  others  have  not  even  fared 
so  well.  Today,  however,  when  American  historians  are  slowly 
beginning  to  analyze  the  cultural  warp  and  woof  that  has  entered 
into  the  texture  of  our  modern  American  culture,  these  men  and 
their  works  must  engage  our  attention  more  specifically.  They 
are  by  no  means  mere  followers  of  Sealsfield.  They  had  nearly 
all  traveled  in  America  and  continued  on  the  paths  of  realism 
opened  by  Sealsfield,  but  quite  independently  and  in  some 
Instances  totally  unaware  of  each  other.  Their  importance, 
especially  for  the  American,  lies  first  in  the  fact  that  they  por 
trayed  in  their  works  various  communities  during  various  periods 
in  our  cultural  history ;  secondly,  and  more  especially,  in  the  fact 
that  they  have  followed  the  course  of  German  emigration  to  the 
Western  Continent,  portraying  the  life  and  vicissitudes  of  the 
German  in  gaining  a  foothold  among  the  Americans  in  the  East 
as  well  as  on  the  extreme  frontier  and  among  the  Indians  in  the 
West,  and  described  for  us  the  fusing  processes  of  the  German 
with  the  other  racial  ingredients  in  the  great  crucible  of  American 
society. 

The  chief  representatives  of  this  group  are  Gerstarcker,  Rup- 
pius,  Mollhausen,  and  Strubberg.  Sealsfield  (1793-1864) 
has  depicted  Mexico  and  Texas  in  the  periods  of  1812-13, 
and  of  1835;  he  gives  much  attention  also  to  planter  life  in 
Louisiana.  Friedrich  Gerstacker  (1816-72)  portrayed  life  in 
Mexico  in  the  sixties,  during  the  time  of  Maximilian.  Otto 
Ruppius  (1819-64)  had  become  perhaps  the  most  popular  writer 
of  this  group  through  his  Pedlar  (1857)  and  a  continuation  of  the 
same,  Das  V  ermdchtnis  des  Pedlars  (1859),  which  give  the 
experiences  of  a  young  German  in  America.  Baldwin  Moll 
hausen  (1825-1905)  has  associated  himself  with  the  territory  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Plateau  of  New  Mexico,  where  he 
had  been  in  the  fifties.  Armand,  pseudonym  for  Friedrich 
Armand  Strubberg  (1806-1889)  has  more  especially  identified 
himself  with  Mexico  and  Texas  in  the  forties.  It  is  the  last- 


26  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

named  author,  who  by  virtue  of  the  wealth  of  ethnographic  detail 
in  his  works,  and  the  splendor  of  his  descriptions  of  natural 
scenery,  of  plants,  and  animals,  stands  second  to  Sealsfield  only. 
Through  him  the  life  of  the  Indians  in  Texas  in  the  thirties  and 
forties,  the  beauties  of  the  Cordilleras  and  the  lonely  grandeur 
of  the  prairies,  the  early  Germans  in  Texas,  and  especially  the 
endeavors  of  the  "Mainzer  Adelsverein"  toward  colonization, 
together  with  the  intense  sufferings  and  hardships  of  these  early 
German  colonists,  first  received  adequate  treatment  in  literature. 
In  spite  of  all  this,  it  is  just  this  writer  who,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  has  been  most  neglected  by  literary  historians.  The  dedica 
tion  of  the  following  monograph  to  the  life  and  work  of  Fried- 
rich  Armand  Strubberg  therefore  needs  no  further  justification. 


STRUBBERG  AS  HUNTSMAN 

[After  a  Photograph  in  the  possession  of  Oberst  von  Slrubberg,  Erfurt.] 


CHAPTER  II. 
THE  BioGRAPHY1  OF  STRUBBERG. 

Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg,  born  in  Kassel  on  March  18, 
i8o6,2  was  the  son  of  Heinrich  Friedrich  Strubberg,  who  was 
a  direct  descendant  of  Landgrave  Friedrich  I  of  Hessen,  after 
wards  King  of  Sweden.  Landgrave  Friedrich  I  (b.  April  28, 
1676)  had  in  1717  contracted  a  morganatic  marriage  with  the 


1  The  chief  sources  for  a  biography  of  Strubberg  are  the  following : 

1.  Otfrid    Mylius    (pseudonym    for    Karl    Miiller,   the   novelist)  :    F.   A. 
Strubberg  (Armand},  Kolnische  Zeitung,  Nr.  228,  2.  Blatt,  18.  Aug.,  1889. 

2.  W.    Bennecke :    Aus   Armand' s    Leben.     Hessenland,     Zeitschrift   fur 
hessische  Geschichte  und  Literatur.     Nr.  9,  Kassel,  2.  Mai,  1889;  ibid.,  Nr. 
10,  Kassel,  16.  Mai,  1889. 

3.  Ludwig  Frankel:  Strubberg,  F.  A.    Allgemeine  Deutsche  Biorgaphie. 
Bd.  36. 

4.  Georg  Wolff:  Altes  und  Neues  uber  Armand-Strubberg.    Hessenland. 
Nr.  24,  1911. 

5.  C.  Neuber :  Frederic  Armand  Strubberg.  Vortrag,  gehalten  am  21.  Feb. 
im  hessischen  Geschichtsverein.    Neue  Casseler  Zeitung.    Cassel,  Donnerstag, 
d.  24.  Feb.,  und  Freitag,  d.  25.  Feb.,  1910. 

6.  Carl  Heinz  Hill :  Friedrich  August  Strubberg.   Zu  seinem  hundertsten 
Geburtstage.     Die    Heimstatt.     Beilage  zur  Gelnhauser  Zeitung.     Nr.  3.     I. 
Marz,  1907. 

7.  Letters  in  the  possession  of  the  Thorbecke   family,  relatives  of  the 
author  in  Mannheim. 

8.  Autobiographical  material  in  Strubberg's  works. 

9.  Personal  recollections  gathered  from  friends  of  the  author. 

3  The  date  of  Strubberg's  birth  has  been  subject  to  frequent  error.  Franz 
Bornmuller's  Biographisches  Schriftstellerlexikon  der  Gegenwart,  Lpz.,  1882; 
Briimmer's  Lexikon  der  deutschen  Dichter  und  Prosaisten  des  19.  Jahrhun- 
derts,  Lpz.,  1901;  Heinrichsen's  Das  literarische  Deutschland,  Berlin,  1891-92; 
Ludwig  Frankel  in  the  A.  D.  B.;  and  the  lexika  of  Meyer  and  Brockhaus, 
all  give  the  date  of  his  birth  as  May  18,  1808. 

On  a  little  note,  however,  which  was  written  by  the  author's  mother,  and 
now  in  the  possession  of  Frau  Inspektor  Lenkmann  of  Kassel,  we  read: 

Unser  lieber  Fritz  ist  gebohren  d.  iSten  Marz,  1806,  abends  um  halb  olfe. 
D.  2ten  Marz  1807  lief  er  allein.  D.  2oten  Juni  wurden  ihm  die  Schutzboken 
eingeimpft. 

Further  proof  is  the  inscription  in  the  Kirchenbuch  der  Oberneustddter 
franzosischen  Gemeinde,  Kassel:  Geboren  18.  Marz,  1806.  Frederic  Armand, 
Sphn  des  Kauf-  und  Handelmanns  Henri  Frederic  Strubberg — Elise  Mar- 
ville,  getauft  13.  April,  1806. 

The  Casseler  Policey-  und  Commercien-Zeitung,  21.  April,  1806,  includes 
among  those  baptized  from  April  9-15,  1806,  in  the  Oberneustadter  franzosi 
schen  Gemeinde,  Frederic  Armand,  Sohn  des  Kauf-  und  Handelmanns  Henri 
Frederic  Strubberg. 

Accordingly  Armand,  which  Strubberg  employed  as  his  nom  de  plume, 
is  not  an  assumed,  but  a  baptismal  name.  The  form  Friedrich  August  Strub 
berg,  which  occasionally  appears,  is  therefore  not  warranted. 

(27) 


28  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

widow  of  the  Dutch  general,  Count  Wilmsdorf-Brevendorf, 
which  marriage  was  dissolved  in  1720,  when  the  Landgrave  mar 
ried  the  Queen  of  Sweden  and  himself  ascended  the  Swedish 
throne.  Of  the  above  morganatic  marriage  was  born  one 
daughter,  Anna  Amalie,  who  married  Christian  Heinrich  Strub 
berg  (councillor  of  the  board  of  domains  in  Cleve)3  in  1741. 
Of  this  marriage  was  born  Friedrich  Rudolph  Strubberg  (later 
Kommercienrat  in  Emmerich).  The  latter  married  Emilie  Cor- 
desse.  At  the  birth  of  their  son  Heinrich  Friedrich  in  1762  the 
parents  resided  in  Holland.  Heinrich  Friedrich,  the  father  of 
our  author,  however,  had  later  come  to  Kassel  at  the  instance 
of  his  brother-in-law,  Andries  Hendrik  Thorbecke,  a  tobacco 
merchant  in  Kassel,  who  had  participated  in  the  endeavors  to 
rescue  the  treasures  of  the  electoral  house  of  Hessen  from  the 
French  and  was  obliged  to  flee  to  Holland.4  Heinrich  Friedrich 
Strubberg  developed  in  time  an  extensive  tobacco  trade  and 
became  one  of  the  most  influential  and  respected  citizens  in  old 
Kassel.  In  1804  he  had  married  the  talented  Frederique  Elise 
Marville,  daughter  of  Armand  Frangois  Marville,  Kanzleiregis- 
trator  to  Landgrave  Friedrich  II.5  At  the  time  of  the  author's 
birth,  the  parents  occupied  what  was  in  those  days  considered  a 
palatial  residence  situated  on  Oberkonigstrasse  near  the  Royal 
Palace.6  Adjoining  the  residence  was  a  beautiful  garden  witH 
a  greenhouse  whose  rare  plants  even  attracted  the  Landgrave  to 
visit  the  Strubbergs  personally. 

Heinrich  Friedrich  Strubberg's  wealth,  his  position  as  one 
of  the  foremost  tobacco  merchants  in  Germany,  the  aristocratic 
manner  in  which  he  conducted  his  household,  and  not  least  his 


*  Cf.  The  Strubberg  "Stammbaum"  in  the  possession  of  the  Thorbecke 
family  in  Mannheim. 

See  also  the  Strubberg  letters  in  the  Appendix  of  this  work. 
4  Cf.  Zum  Stammbaum    der    Familie    Strubberg    in    Hessenland.     Nr.  4, 
1912. 

*  See  Die  Familie  Strubberg,    Von  Archivar  Dr.  Karl  Knetsch-Marburg, 
Hessenland.  Nr.  3,  1912. 

6  The  house  has  since  been  rebuilt  and  is  now  occupied  by  the  Residenz- 
Cafe.  To  the  rear,  now  Wolfschlucht  12,  is  an  old  structure  which  was  for 
merly  the  tobacco  warehouse  of  the  Strubbergs.  It  has  been  transformed 
into  a  dwelling-house,  but  is  still  known  to  the  older  citizens  of  Kassel  as 
the  "Tabaksdose." 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  29 

cultured  and  artistic  wife,  placed  the  family  among  the  most 
influential  in  Kassel.  The  Strubberg  home  was  the  gathering 
place  for  the  local  literary  coterie,  among  which  were  such  poets 
as  Dingelstedt  and  Ernst  Koch,  the  author  of  Prinz  Rosa 
Stratum.1 

Among  such  happy  and  stimulating  surroundings  Fritz 
Strubburg  spent  his  earliest  years.  In  spite  of  the  fact  that  the 
father  was  greatly  hampered  in  his  vast  business  enterprise  by  the 
Napoleonic  embargo,  his  son  was  given  the  best  instruction  that 
wealth  could  afford.  Nor  was  his  physical  education  neglected; 
especially  was  he  trained  to  ride  and  shoot,  accomplishments  which 
were  in  his  later  life  to  prove  of  great  advantage  to  him.  But 
above  all  else,  the  untiring  activity,  the  energy,  and  integrity  of 
his  father,  were  the  factors  that  conduced  most  to  the  molding 
of  his  son's  strong  individuality. 

In  1822  Fritz  Strubberg,  then  an  alert,  well-knit  youth  of 
sixteen,  went  to  Bremen  and  entered  one  of  the  large  mercantile 
houses  there  as  an  unsalaried  clerk.  He  was  to  fit  himself 
for  a  business  career.  International  traffic  such  as  he  had  full 
opportunity  to  witness  and  know  intimately  in  this  old  sea-port 
town  only  enthused  him  the  more  and  determined  him  to  become 
a  merchant.  In  a  short  time  he  had  won  the  recognition  of  his 
employers  and  been  promoted  to  a  more  responsible  position. 
Strubberg  was  at  this  time  a  tall,  slender  youth  with  noble,  well- 
defined  features  and  fascinating  manners.  He  already  possessed 
that  chivalry  of  deportment  and  certain  justifiable  consciousness 
of  power  which  characterized  his  later  life. 

In  1826  Strubberg  had  won  the  affections  of  Antoinette,  the 
daughter  of  Johann  Gottfried  Sattler,  a  prominent  merchant  in 
Bremen.  A  cousin  of  the  young  lady,  who  himself  had  hoped  to 
win  her  hand,  in  a  fit  of  jealousy  openly  sought  a  quarrel  with 
the  young  lover.  The  result  was  a  duel,  in  which  Strubberg  shot 
and  wounded  his  rival  to  such  a  degree  that  he  found  it  wisest 
to  flee.  And  whither?  To  the  German  youth  of  that  day  there 


TCf.  Jeanette  Bramer:  Aus  "Annand's"  Leben,  Hessenland,  1899.   S.  150, 
151. 


30  Friedrich  Armand  Strubbcrg 

could  be  only  one  answer:  America!  Strubberg  at  once 
embarked  on  a  vessel  thither.  For  the  next  three  years  he 
remained  in  America,  making  extensive  journeys  there  for  vari 
ous  mercantile  houses.  Strubberg  wove  most  of  the  episodes  of 
his  long  and  varied  life  in  America  into  his  novels.  Concerning 
this  first  stay  in  America  he  is  unfortunately  remarkably  silent. 
Very  little  can  therefore  be  said  of  this  period  of  his  life  with 
any  degree  of  definiteness.  These  few  verses  at  the  beginning 
of  the  twentieth  chapter  of  his  novel  Bis  in  die  Wildniss: 

"Selbst  sollst  den   Schutz  du   deiner   Ehre  geben. 
Doch  dazu  musst  ein  guter   Schutz  du  sein, 
Wirfst  in  die  Schaal'  du  dann  dein  eigen  Leben 
Gehoret  jedes  andre  Leben  dein!" — 

possibly  refer  to  the  duel  in  Bremen.  In  the  same  Strub 
berg  lets  the  hero  Armand  (the  author  himself),  who  is  mak 
ing  a  journey  to  America,  pass  a  few  remarks  concerning  a 
previous  visit :  "Er  hatte  schon  friiher,  beinahe  noch  Knabe, 
eine  Reise  nach  Amerika  gemacht  und  dasselbe  von  Norden 
nach  Siiden  durchwandert  und  nun  wieder  eine  Reihe  von  Jah- 
ren  in  seiner  deutschen  Heimath  unter  den  Freunden  seiner  Ju- 
gend  verlebt."8  Of  the  same  visit  he  again  remarks:  ".  .  .  ich 
habe  eigentlich  nur  den  Norden  Amerika's  besucht  und  bin  nicht 
weiter  nach  Suden  gekommen,  als  nach  Nord-Carolina."£  In  a 
later  work,  in  which  Strubberg  again  introduces  himself  as  Ar 
mand,  he  says:  "Es  war  im  Friihling  des  Jahres  1828,  als  die 
schlanke  amerikanische  Brigg,  Lady  Adams,  sich  auf  der  im  Son- 
nenlichte  spiegelnden  und  glanzenden  Chesapeake-Bai  hinauf- 
schaukelte  und  einen  einzelnen  Passagier,  einen  noch  sehr  jun- 
gen  Deutschen,  Namens  Armand,  der  neuen  Welt  zutrug."10 

In  October,  1828,  he  visited  Niagara  Falls.11     His  impres- 


8  See  Armand's  Bis  in  die  Wildniss.    2.  Aufl.  1863,  p.  16. 

•  Ibid,  p.  75- 

10  See  Armand's  Der  Krosus  von  Philadelphia.  Weimar,  1895.  Vol.  II,  p. 
243- 

"  This  visit  is  confirmed  by  a  photograph  of  a  sketch  of  Niagara  Falls, 
now  in  the  possession  of  Herrn  Franz  Beck,  Gelnhausen.  It  is  signed :— F.  A. 
Strubberg,  6.  Oktober,  1828. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  31 

sions  he  afterwards  used  to  good  purpose.12  Strubberg  had  pros 
pered  in  his  work  and  had  every  reason  to  look  forward  to  a 
successful  career  in  America,  when  circumstances  in  his  father's 
business  affairs  led  him  to  return  to  Germany  late  in  the  autumn 
of  1829. 

The  extensive  business  of  Strubberg's  father,  in  consequence 
of  the  unfortunate  duty  which  the  many  petty  German  princi 
palities  at  that  time  selfishly  imposed  on  each  other,  was  grad 
ually  being  ruined.  Heinrich  Strubberg  had  built  up  his  business 
on  a  scale  that  demanded  the  patronage  of  all  Germany,  but  in 
consequence  of  the  high  duties  on  all  tobacco  products,  he  was 
dependent  for  his  sales  mainly  on  the  electoral  principality  of 
Hessen-Kassel,  and  these  sales  were  relatively  so  small  that  the 
invested  capital  could  no  longer  yield  the  necessary  dividends. 

Strubberg  therefore  remained  with  his  father  and  gave  him 
his  support  in  this  financial  crisis,  in  the  hooe  that  the  German 
Embargo  Association,  which  was  about  to  be  organized,  would 
bring  relief.  The  next  seven  or  eight  years  were  devoted  to  his 
father's  business,  years  concerning  which  we  know  little.  Strub 
berg  appears  to  have  established  a  branch  to  his  father's  tobacco 
industry  in  the  near-by  town  of  Miinden.  Meanwhile  this  finan 
cial  crisis  had  apparently  no  effect  on  the  extravagant  mode  of 
life  the  Strubberg  family  had  hitherto  enjoyed.  Concerning  the 
appearance  and  actions  of  our  author  during  these  years,  W. 
Bennecke,  a  personal  friend  of  Strubberg's,  has  left  us  a  few 
interesting  remarks:  "Strubberg's  Eltern  machten  in  Kassel  ein 
grosses  Haus  und  der  damals  in  voller  Jugendbliithe  sthende 
Fritz  erschien  als  der  verzogene  Liebling  des  Gliicks.  Es  wehte 
durch  jene  Zeit  noch  ein  romantischer  Zug,  und  man  scheute  sich 
nicht,  denselben  auch  im  Ausseren  zu  erkennen  zu  geben.  Der 
junge  Strubberg  besass  eine  gliihende  Phantasie,  eine  ausspre- 
chende  Personlichkeit  und  war  der  Sohn  eines  reichen  Kaufherrn, 
was  fehlte  ihm  also,  um  der  Lowe  des  Tages  zu  sein?  Noch  er- 
innerte  man  sich  seiner,  wie  er  iiber  den  Friedrichsplatz,  von  aus- 


"  See  Armand's  Der  Sprung  vom  Niagarafalle.    1864.    Vol.  II,  p.  205  f. 

Also  Armand's  Ralph  Norwood.   1860.    Vol.  IV,  p.  140  f. 

Also  Armand's  Vornehm  und  Biirgerlich  in  the  Krefelder  Zeitung,  1878. 


32  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

erlesenen  Ruden  begleitet  im  phantastischen  Kostiim  a  la  Abal- 
lino  zur  Jagd  auszog  und  die  Bewunderung  der  Damen  erregte."13 
This  child  of  fortune  was  only  too  soon  to  face  the  bitter  realities 
of  life.  The  Strubbergs  were  incapable  of  placing  the  business 
on  a  sure  footing  again,  and  the  industry  passed  into  other  hands. 
Young  Strubberg  was  henceforth  obliged  to  depend  on  his  own 
resources.  His  adventurous  spirit  again  directed  his  attention 
to  the  New  World.  At  the  close  of  the  thirties  we  see  him  Abound 
once  more  for  America,  where  he  hoped  no  doubt  to  realize  even 
his  fondest  dreams.  Practically  our  only  source  for  a  more  de 
tailed  account  of  his  life  in  America  are  those  parts  of  his  works 
in  which  he  has  chosen  to  recount  his  own  experiences. 

This  second  journey  to  America  Strubberg  has  described  in 
his  work  Bis  in  die  Wildniss,  the  hero  of  which  is  Armand,  under 
which  name  we  recognize  the  author  himself.  While  Strubberg 
has  no  doubt  permitted  himself  a  certain  literary  freedom,  the 
general  account  of  his  travels  as  outlined  in  this  work,  may  be 
considered  fairly  reliable.  Strubberg  appears  to  have  embarked 
at  Rotterdam  for  New  Orleans,  journeyed  thence  by  water  to 
Mobile  and  overland  to  Charleston,  S.  C.  After  a  short  rest  he 
proceeded  to  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  and  thence  by  rail  to  Richmond, 
Virginia;  here  he  took  a  steamer  to  Baltimore,  and  then  jour 
neyed  by  rail  to  New  York,  where  he  became  a  commission  mer 
chant  for  European  houses.  While  New  York  was  apparently 
his  center,  he  seems  also  to  have  conducted  shipments  in  the  ports 
of  Baltimore,  Richmond  and  Havana. 

His  thorough  business  ability  soon  acquired  for  him  a  certain 
position  of  respect,  which  gave  him  entrance  to  superior  social 
circles.  In  New  York  Strubberg  became  engaged  to  a  young 
American  heiress,  but  again  met  a  bitter  opponent  in  the  person 
of  a  cousin,  who  endeavored  to  hinder  the  marriage  of  the  young 
lady  with  the  intention  of  himself  becoming  heir  to  her  estate.14 
The  outcome  was  a  pistol  duel  in  which  Strubberg  killed  the 


18  W.  Bennecke:  Aus  Armand's  Leben  in  Hessenland.     Nr.  9,  Kassel,  2. 
Mai,  1889. 

"  Cf.  Otf rid  Mylius :  Kolnische  Zeitung,  18.  Aug.,  1889. 
See  also  Armand's  Bis  in  die  Wildniss.    Vol.  Ill,  p.  115  f. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  33 

cousin  and  was  obliged  to  leave  New  York  in  haste  in  order  to 
escape  legal  prosecution.  He  also  found  it  expedient  to  assume 
another  name.  In  Bis  in  die  Wildniss  the  name  is  Mr.  Frederik, 
but  it  is  more  probable  that  he  already  assumed  that  name  under 
which  he  lived  many  years  on  the  Texan  frontier,  namely: 
Schubbert.  On  fleeing  from  New  York  Strubberg  went  by  rail 
to  Cincinnati  by  way  of  Philadelphia,  Baltimore  and  Pittsburgh, 
arriving  in  Cincinnati  on  the  evening  of  the  fifth  day.  This 
episode  in  Strubberg' s  life  so  like  that  which  he  had  suffered  in 
Germany  in  his  earlier  years,  seems  to  have  embittered  him 
against  society,  and  he  resolved  to  seek  happiness  on  the  extreme 
frontier,  where  culture  and  an  unnatural  civilization  had  not  yet 
made  their  blighting  inroads.  The  thought  that  genuine  happi 
ness  can  only  exist  away  from  the  complicated  conditions  of  mod 
ern  life,  and  the  Rousseauian  idea  that  life  is  at  its  best  when 
nearest  to  nature,  had  taken  firm  root  in  his  mind  and  can  be 
traced  through  most  of  his  works.  "Ja,"  says  Armand,  wearied 
by  misfortunes,  and  longing  for  the  peace  and  quiet  of  frontier 
life,  "alter  treuer  Freund,  ich  gehe  da  hin,  wo  sie  mich  wohl  nicht 
storen  werden."  "Doch  nicht  nach  Europa  zuriick?"  "Nein,  nicht 
aus  dem  Regen  in  die  Traufe;  ich  bin  es  miide,  Rody,  wie  ein 
Ball  von  dem  Schicksal  herum  geworfen  zu  werden,  .  .  ,"15 

With  a  view  to  finding  a  suitable  place  for  settlement  in 
Texas,  Strubberg  boarded  a  vessel  at  Cincinnati  for  the  Missis 
sippi.  A  short  distance  from  Louisville,  the  steamer,  through  an 
accident,  sank,  but  Strubberg  after  some  difficulty,  succeeded 
with  others  in  reaching  the  shore.  Later  the  vessel  was  raised 
and  he  regained  his  possessions,  but  their  condition  was  such  that 
he  was  obliged  to  equip  himself  anew  for  further  travel- 
While  Strubberg  was  delayed  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  he  made 
the  acquaintance  of  a  German  Professor  in  the  Medical  School 
of  that  place,  who  took  an  interest  in  his  fellow  countryman. 
He  tried  to  persuade  Strubberg  to  remain  and  study  medicine. 
"Louisville,"  says  Strubberg,  "1st  eine  der  solidesten  Universitaten 
der  Vereinigten  Staaten,  und  namentlich  war  damals  als  die  medi- 


15  See  Armand's  Bis  in  die  Wildniss.    Vol.  Ill,  p.  127. 


34  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

cinische  Facultat  besonders  gut  besetzt."16  Strubberg  thought 
a  knowledge  of  medicine  must  certainly  be  of  frequent  use  to 
him  in  his  prospective  remote  life.  He  allowed  himself  there 
fore  to  be  persuaded,  attended  the  medical  school  with  untiring 
zeal  for  two  years,  and  received  the  diploma  of  Doctor  of  Medi 
cine.17  He  now  went  to  Memphis  accompanied  by  a  bloodhound, 
which  was  to  be  for  many  years  his  tried  and  faithful  friend. 
Here  he  bought  a  fine  white  stallion,  the  "Schimmelhengst  Zaar," 
which  plays  so  prominent  a  role  in  several  of  his  novels.  This 
stallion  was  sired  by  one  of  the  six  Berber  stallions  presented  to 
President  Taylor  by  the  Sultan  of  Morocco.  From  Memphis, 
Strubberg  journeyed  down  the  Mississippi  to  New  Orleans,  where 
he  visited  the  English  Consul  Stamford  18  in  order  to  consult 
him  about  the  proposed  trip  to  the  West  of  Texas.  Returning 
to  Memphis  and  taking  possession  of  the  stallion,  he  crossed  the 
Mississippi  and  proceeded  westward.  Cutting  across  Arkansas 
by  way  of  Little  Rock,  he  reached  the  border  town  of  Ultima 
Thule  (not  a  fictitious  name) ;  thence  he  proceeded  through  a 
section  of  Choctaw  Indian  land,  crossed  the  Red  River  and  now 
found  himself  on  Texan  territory.  After  several  days  the  small 
town  of  Dallas  was  reached.  Following  a  mighty  stream  which 
he  supposed  from  the  maps  of  the  Consul  to  be  the  Rio  Grande, 
he  met  a  larger  river  into  which  the  former  emptied.  This  was 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  the  former  the  Rio  Puerco.  Following  a 
buffalo  path,  he  arrived  after  several  days  at  the  banks  of  the 
Leona  with  which  he  was  to  become  so  closely  associated  during 
the  following  years.  Speaking  of  this  spot,  he  says:  "Der 
Reichthum  des  Bodens,  die  Schonheit  der  Umgebung,  die  Uppig- 
keit  der  Pflanzenwelt  und  die  Masse  des  Wildes  aller  Art,  das 


16  See  Bis  in  die  Wildniss.    Vol.  Ill,  p.  159. 

"  Strubberg  was  never  reluctant  in  speaking  of  his  own  merits,  whether 
real  or  imagined.  He  seems  to  have  taken  great  pride  in  being  termed  Doctor. 
In  his  works  he  is  constantly  alleviating  sick  people.  In  Texas  he  is  still 
known  as  Doctor  Schubbert.  In  Gelnhausen,  where  he  spent  his  last  years, 
he  is  still  spoken  of  as  Doctor  Strubberg.  In  one  of  his  letters  (see  Appendix) 
he  writes :  "Ich  zahlte  damals  zu  einem  der  ersten  Arzte  Amerikas.  .  .  ." 

18  Stamford,  according  to  Strubberg,  had  written  a  book  on  Texas,  which 
the  writer  has,  however,  not  been  able  to  find. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  35 

diese  Fluren  bewohnte,  bestimmten  ihn,  diesen  Ort  zu  seinem 
Wohnsitz  zu  machen,  .  .  ,"19 

Strubberg  had  at  last  found  a  suitable  place  and  now  returned 
to  Memphis  to  make  final  arrangements.  Journeying  by  way 
of  San  Antonio,  he  rode  northeast  over  vast  prairie  lands,  crossed 
the  Colorado  to  Austin,  then  the  seat  of  government  of  the 
Republic  of  Texas,  proceeded  by  way  of  Nacogdoches  to  Natchez, 
whence  he  returned  by  steamer  to  Memphis.  Here  he  advertised 
for  a  few  trustworthy  men,  who  would  be  willing  to  share  with 
him  the  solitude  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  trials  and  hardships 
which  such  a  life  would  certainly  entail.  He  succeeded  in  finding 
three  such  men  :20  one  by  profession  a  saddler,  another  a  carpen 
ter,  and  a  third  an  agriculturalist. 

With  these  men,  one  wagon,  one  cart,  horses,  mules,  cattle, 
and  his  bloodhound,  Strubberg  now  set  out  for  the  chosen  spot 
along  the  Leona.  From  Memphis  the  party  was  conveyed  by  a 
steamer  to  the  mouth  of  the  Red  River,  whence  another  steamer 
was  taken  to  Shreveport,  near  Lake  Caddo.  From  the  latter 
place  they  reached  the  Leona  by  way  of  San  Antonio. 

In  the  following  opening  lines  of  his  first  work,  the  author 
has  described  his  lonely  frontier  home :  "An  dem  Fusse  der  Berge 
des  Rio  Grande  (Rio  Bravo),  den  Auslaufern  der  Cordilleren, 
an  den  steilen  hohen  Ufern  der  Leone,  eines  der  vielen  ostlichen 
Nebenfliisse  dieses  gewaltigen  Stromes  des  westlichen  Amerikas, 
stand  meine  Wohnung,  welche  auf  den  drei  vorderen  Seiten  mit 
einer  vierzehn  Fuss  hohen  Wand  von  aufrecht  stehenden  gespal- 
tenen  Baumen  umgeben  war.  An  den  beiden  vorderen  Ecken  die- 
ser  Einzaunung  waren  kleine  Vorbauten  von  demselben  Material 
angebracht,  um  fur  den  Fall  eines  Angriffes  durch  die  feindlichen 
Indianer  die  Seiten  jener  Pallisadirung  beschiessen  zu  konnen. 
Auf  der  siidlichen  Seite  des  Flusses,  auf  welcher  ich  wohnte, 
streckten  sich  unabsehbare  wellenformige,  iippige  Grasflachen 
(Prairien)  seinen  Ufern  entlang,  wahrend  die  nordliche  Seite 
mehrere  Stunden  breit  mit  dem  dichtesten  Urwald  bedeckt  war. 


19  Bis  in  die  Wildniss.    Vol.  IV,  p.  186. 

10  According  to  Strubberg  they  were  Germans. 

See  Amerikan.  Jagd-  u.  Reise-Abenteuer,  p.  I, 


36  Fried-rich  Armand  Stmbberg 

Nach  Westen  tmd  Norden  hatte  ich  durchaus  keine  civilisirtc 
Nachbarschaft,  und  auch  gegeri  Osten  und  Siiden  war  die  nachste 
Ansiedelung  mindestens  achtzig  Stunden  von  mir  entfernt."21 
Further  on  he  speaks  of  the  interior  of  his  home :  "Mein  Haus 
bestand  nur  aus  einem  grossen  Zimmer,  clessen  Wande  und  Decke 
mit  den  schonsten  dunkelgelockten  Biiffelhauten  tapezirt  waren, 
wahrend  den  Fussboden  ein  Teppich  von  glatten  Sommerhirsch- 
hauten  iiberzog.  Mein  Bett  deckte  die  Haut  eines  prachtig  gefleck- 
ten  Jaguars  und  vor  demselben  breitete  sich  eine  rabenschwarze 
Barenhaut  aus,  auf  welcher  Trust  sein  Lager  hatte."22 

Here  in  this  lonely  frontier  home  Strubberg  spent  a  number 
of  happy  years  under  the  assumed  name  of  Dr.  Schubbert.23 
The  arrival  of  a  white  man  was  a  great  event  for  the  secluded 
pioneers.  Once  in  a  long  while  a  trapper  or  bee  hunter  chanced 
by.  Being  eighty  hours  from  the  nearest  settlement  it  was  very 
seldom  indeed  that  Strubberg  came  into  touch  with  the  exterior 
world.  Several  times  during  the  year  he  packed  the  accumu 
lated  hides,  as  well  as  wax  and  tallow,  on  mules  and  carried  them 
to  market,  returning  with  implements,  powder  and  lead,  and  such 
provisions  as  their  own  cattle  and  cultivated  soil  did  not  yield. 
At  such  times  mail  was  deposited  and  received,  a  fresh  store  of 
books  was  obtained,24  and  then  communication  with  the  outer 
world  was  again  interrupted  for  six  months. 

The  writer  has  taken  the  liberty  of  describing  at  length 
Strubberg's  advance  to  the  West  and  his  settlement  on  the  ex 
treme  frontier  of  Texas,  for  the  reason  that  this  pioneer  (in  the 
truest  sense  of  the  word)  had  penetrated  farther  West  in  that 
specific  territory  than  any  other  white  man,  if  we  perhaps  except  a 
chance  trapper  or  bee  hunter.  That  he  should  have  settled  here 
and  remained  for  several  years  encouraging  others  to  settle  in  those 
remote  and  dangerous  parts,  is  a  fact  which  must  be  of  the  great- 


21  See  Amerikan.  Jagd-  u.  Reise-Abenteuer,  p.  i. 

*Ibid,  p.  115- 

33  How  long  S.  remained  here  can  not  be  stated  with  definiteness.  We  are 
inclined  to  judge  that  he  remained  here  about  four  or  five  years. 

"From  Amerikan.  Jagd-  u.  Reise-Abenteuer,  p.  33,  we  infer  that  S.  had 
books  forwarded  him  from  New  York  and  also  from  Europe. 


Frledrich  Armand  Strubberg  37 

est   significance   to  the   student   of  the  cultural   history   of  the 
Germans  in  America. 

"Allein  der  Deutsche  stand  in  diesen  Reichen, 
Die  keines  Weissen  Fuss  vor  ihm  beschritt; 
Die  Wildniss  trug  nicht  der  Gesittung  Zeichen, 
Nur  wilder  Thiere,  wilder  Menschen  Tritt."25 

But  this  idyllic  life  here  on  the  rolling  prairies  far  from  the 
haunts  of  men  was  not  long  to  remain  undisturbed.  News  of 
Strubberg's  settlement,  his  successes  there,  the  richness  of  the 
soil,  the  desirability  of  the  climate,  had  reached  the  Eastern 
States,  and  it  was  not  long  till  other  pioneers  advanced  and  set 
tled  in  the  same  vicinity.  Many  of  them  were  outcasts  of  society, 
who  had  come  to  the  West  to  satisfy  their  own  greedy  desires 
and  to  indulge  those  passions,  which  society  did  not  permit. 
Later,  too,  the  Southern  slave-owner  advanced  and  took  up  huge 
plantations.  Within  a  few  years  the  once  beautiful  hunting- 
grounds  had  been  converted  into  vast  cotton  fields.  Strubberg 
had  fled  from  society  only  to  be  again  overtaken  by  it.  The  fort 
ress  on  the  Leona  had  come  to  be  undesirable  and  its  owner 
sought  new  fields  of  activity. 

Strubberg  now  entered  upon  one  of  the  most  interesting 
years  in  his  adventurous  career,  namely :  the  year  in  which  he 
was  associated  with  the  "Mainzer  Adels-Verein."  On  account 
of  the  significance  of  the  "Verein"  in  Strubberg's  later  literary 
activity  and  the  fact  that  his  connections  with  the  same  have  never 
been  accurately  stated,  it  may  be  permitted  to  dwell  somewhat 
at  length  upon  the  matter. 

Texas,  as  a  part  of  Mexico,  had  been  under  Spanish  rule 
up  to  the  year  1821.  In  the  same  year  Mexico  declared  itself 
independent  of  Spain,  and  from  that  time  really  dates  the  begin 
ning  of  colonization  in  Texas.  In  1821  a  band  of  fifty-three  men 
of  various  nationalities  landed  on  the  coast  of  Texas.  They  had 
come  from  New  Orleans.  Of  these  fifty-three  men  six  were 


38  See  Friedrichsburg :  ein  Gedenkblatt  zum  Jubilaum  der  Ansiedlung.  Von 
F.  H.  Lohmann.  In  the  Fest-Ausgabe  zum  jo-jahrigen  Jubilaum  der  Grun- 
dung  der  deutschen  Kolonie  Friedrichsburg.  Friedrichsburg,  1896.  After  this 
Fest-Ausgabe. 


38  Fried  rich  Armand  Strubberg 

Germans,  probably  the  first  German  settlers  in  Texas.26  The 
government  of  Mexico,  desirous  of  colonizing  its  border  state 
Texas,  assigned  large  grants  of  land  for  that  purpose  to  various 
colonizers  (Empressarios)  who  had  pledged  themselves  to  get  a 
certain  number  of  families  to  settle  on  the  said  land.  These 
colonizers  found  a  ready  support  in  the  planters  of  the  South, 
in  whose  minds  the  plan  to  separate  Texas  from  Mexico  and 
incorporate  it  into  the  United  States  as  a  slave  state,  thus  gain 
ing  new  support  in  Congress  for  their  own  interests,  seems 
already  to  have  been  present.27  March  2,  1836,  Texas  declared 
its  independence  and  proclaimed  itself  a  republic.  The  Empres 
sarios  who  had  earlier  received  grants  of  land  from  the  Mexican 
government,  now  desired  to  attract  German  immigrants,  and  to 
that  end  advertised  in  the  papers  and  sent  out  agents.  Many 
German  immigrants  were  thus  led  to  suitable  settlements ;  others 
unfortunately  fell  victims  to  self-interested  land  sharks. 

In  1842  a  movement  was  begun  in  Germany  to  organize 
German  emigration  to  Texas.  To  Count  Karl  of  Kastell,  an 
officer  in  the  Austrian  garrison  in  the  fortress  at  Mainz,  belongs 
the  credit  of  organizing.  April  20,  1842,  about  fourteen  German 
princes  and  counts  gathered  in  Biebrich  on  the  Rhine.  The  fol 
lowing  document  was  drawn  up  and  signed:  "Wir  Endesunter- 
schriebene  erklaren  andurch  dass  wir  zum  Zwecke  Ankaufs  von 
Landereien  im  Freistaate  Texas  unter  heutigem  Datum  uns  als 
Gesellschaft  constituirt  haben  .  Biebrich,  den  20.  April  1842." 

On  the  same  day  it  was  resolved  that  two  of  the  number 
should  be  sent  to  Texas  to  investigate  territories  suitable  for 
colonization.  Counts  Boos-Waldeck  and  Victor  Leiningen  were 
appointed  to  undertake  the  journey.  They  sailed  in  May,  1842. 
Count  Leiningen  requested  a  grant  of  land  from  the  Texan  gov 
ernment  for  colonizing  purposes  with  the  condition  that  the  colon 
ists  be  exempt  from  taxes  for  the  first  several  years,  which  con 
dition  was,  however,  not  approved  by  the  government.  The 
Count  insisted  but  was  finally  obliged  to  return  to  Germany 


"  See  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  18. 

17  Cf.  Franz  Loher:  Geschichte  und  Zustdnde  der  Deutschen  in  Amerika. 
Cincinnati,  1847,  p.  348  f. 


Friedrich  Annand  Stnibberg  39 

defeated  in  his  plans.  Count  Boos-Waldeck,  however,  remained 
in  Texas,  established  the  Nassau  plantation  and  finally  withdrew 
his  membership  in  the  "Verein." 

In  June,  1843,  tne  "Verein"  was  reorganized  into  a  stock 
company.  At  a  General  Assembly  held  March  25,  1844,  a  con 
stitution  was  adopted.  It  was  further  declared  that  the  "Verein" 
was  to  foster  no  financial  or  political  projects.28  The  company 
was  to  dedicate  itself  solely  to  the  organizing,  aiding,  and  con 
ducting  of  emigrants  to  Texas.  Its  official  name  was  to  be : 
Gesellschaft  zum  Schutze  der  deutschen  Auswanderer  nach  Texas. 
It  was  popularly  called  the  "Mainzer  Adelsverein"  or  simply  the 
"Adelsverein." 

Prinz  Karl  zu  Solms-Braunfels,  who  had  been  appointed 
general  agent  for  the  company,  sailed  with  d'Orvanne  for  Texas 
in  May,  1844.  This  d'Orvanne  was  a  French  land  speculator, 
who  had  sold  the  company  a  land  contract  which,  as  was  after 
wards  found,  was  already  null  at  the  time  of  purchase.  In  the 
absence  of  these  two,  the  company  was  gulled  once  more  by  the 
two  German  land  speculators,  Fischer  and  Miller,  who  had  sold 
the  company  a  grant  of  land  lying  so  far  in  the  interior  of 
Texas,  that  no  one  had  ever  seen  it.  It  was  later  discovered  that 
the  grant  bought  from  Fischer  and  Miller  was  in  reality  no  grant 
at  all.  It  was  simply  a  contract,  which  stated  that,  if  a  third  of 
6000  families  had  settled  on  said  land  by  March  i,  1846;  that 
if,  further,  each  colonist  had  dwelt  on  the  estate  assigned  to  him 
three  consecutive  years,  built  a  house,  and  hedged  in  and  tilled 
fifteen  acres  of  land,  then  the  estate  was  to  become  that  colon 
ist's  property. 

Meanwhile  the  company  was  making  all  arrangements  for 
its  first  shipment  of  emigrants  to  Texas  in  the  autumn  of  1844. 
The  company  had  advertised  its  projects  through  the  length  and 
breadth  of  Germany.  Each  adult  emigrant,  on  payment  of  300 
gulden,  was  to  receive  40  acres  of  land  and  free  passage;  the 


"The  entirely  disinterested  purpose  of  the  "Verein"  has  been  questioned. 
Cf.  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  23. 

Cf.  also  W.  von  Rosenberg:  Kritik  der  Geschichte  des  Vereins  zum 
Schutze  der  deutschen  Auswanderer  nach  Texas.  Fredericksburg,  Texas. 


4O  Friedrich  Annand  Strubbcrg 

father  of  every  family  on  payment  of  600  gulden  was  to  receive 
80  acres  of  land  and  free  passage  for  all  the  members  of  his 
family.  In  the  first  year  150  families  had  made  arrangements 
with  the  company  to  emigrate. 

Prinz  Solms  had  endeavored  to  reach  the  lands  specified  by 
Fischer's  and  Miller's  so-called  grant.  The  farther  the  Prince 
penetrated  Texas,  however,  the  more  he  became  convinced  that 
the  remoteness  of  the  land,  and  its  location  among  hostile  Indian 
tribes  made  settlement  there  quite  out  of  the  question.  The 
responsibility  of  his  position  demanded  action.  Upon  the  sug 
gestion  of  the  German  botanist  Lindheimer,29  who  had  been  in 
Texas  and  Mexico  for  some  time,  the  Prince  resolved  to  purchase 
a  tract  of  land  at  the  confluence  of  the  Comal  and  the  Guadalupe 
rivers  and  on  the  road  from  the  coast  to  the  so-called  grant. 

In  November,  1844,  the  "Jonann  Detthard,"  a  Bremen  ship, 
brought  the  first  immigrants;  in  December  of  the  same  year,  the 
"Ferdinand"  and  the  "Herschel"  arrived,  bringing  in  all  about 
700  persons.  In  March,  1845,  tnev  were  conducted  to  the  land 
bought  along  the  Guadalupe  by  Prinz  Solms,  and  the  settlement 
was  called  Neu-Braunfels  after  Prinz  Solms'  ancestral  home  on 
the  Lahn.  February  24,  1845,  Herr  von  Meusebach  was 
appointed  to  succeed  Prinz  Solms  as  general  agent,  Prinz  Solms 
returning  to  Germany.  In  December  of  the  same  year  Meuse 
bach  was  informed  that  the  "Verein"  was  transporting  4304 
more  emigrants.  In  view  of  the  arrival  of  so  great  a  number  of 
people  Meusebach  sent  an  expedition  to  make  roads  and  clear  a 
tract  of  1000  acres  of  land  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Pierdenales, 
about  80  miles  northwest  of  Neu-Braunfels.  This  was  to  become 
the  town  of  Friedrichsburg,30  named  for  Friedrich  von  Preussen, 
a  member  of  the  "Adelsverein."  Meanwhile  over  4000  immi 
grants  had  been  landed  on  the  coast  of  Texas.  For  various  rea- 


*  Cf.  Wanderungen  durch  Texas,  etc.,  von  Frederick  Law  Olmsted,  aus 
dem  Englischen.  Leipzig,  1857,  p.  120  f. 

10  W.  Bennecke  in  Hessenland,  Nr.  10,  2.  Mai,  1889,  erroneously  supposes 
the  town  to  be  named  for  Friedrich  Strubberg.  Here  Strubberg  is  also  termed 
the  "Stadtegriinder,"  for  which  extravagant  title  Strubberg  is  probably  himself 
responsible. 


Friedrich  Arniand  Strubberg  41 

sons  they  could  not  be  transported  from  the  coast  to  their  des 
tination.  Conveyances  could  only  be  had  at  exorbitant  prices, 
because  they  were  then  demanded  for  use  in  the  war  with  Mexico ; 
also  the  weather  had  made  the  new  roads  quite  impassable.  The 
colonists  were  obliged  to  camp  on  the  coast  where  they  found 
miserable  shelter  in  wooden  sheds,  tents,  and  mud  huts.  The 
winter  of  1845-1846  was  a  very  rainy  one.  The  wretched 
climate,  poor  food,  and  insufficient  shelter,  brought  on  contagious 
diseases,  which,  in  addition  to  moral  disintegration,  reduced 
these  unfortunate  immigrants  to  the  lowest  depths  of  misery. 
About  250  had  enlisted  during  this  time  in  the  army  and  fought 
against  Mexico,  only  too  glad  to  get  away  from  such  pitiable 
surroundings ;  others  were  scattered  about  the  immediate  vicinity ; 
still  others  started  in  small  groups  on  the  road  to  Neu-Braunfels, 
leaving  a  trail  of  graves  behind  them.  Those  who  arrived  in 
the  settlements  of  Neu-Braunfels  and  Friedrichsburg  were  only 
welcomed  by  further  want  and  disease.  It  is  estimated  that 
i ocx)  immigrants  perished  in  this  unfortunate  colonizing  venture. 
Such  was  the  condition  of  affairs,  when  Dr.  Schubbert,  in 
whom  we  recognize  Strubberg,  was  recommended  to  Meusebach 
as  a  capable  physician  and  colonizer,  and  appointed  by  the  latter 
as  colonial  director  of  Friedrichsburg.  In  Friedrichsburg,  die 
Colonic  des  dcutschen  Fursten-Vereins  in  Texas,  Strubberg 
speaks  at  length  of  the  founding  of  Friedrichsburg.  Calling 
himself  Dr.  Schubbert,31  he  writes : — "Schon  mehrere  Tausend 
der  Unglitcklichen  waren  Opfer  der  Verhaltnisse  geworden,  als 
man  Doctor  Schubbert  zu  Hiilfe  rief,  ihm  das  Directorium  iiber- 
gab,  und  er  zngleich  die  Behandlung  sammtlicher  Kranken  iiber- 
nahm.  Er  Hess  diese  aus  dem  Urwald  an  der  Guadelupe,  wo  sie 
Hiitte  an  Hiitte  und  Zelt  an  Zelt  zusammen  gedrangt  lagen, 
hinaus  in  das  Freie  schaffen,  worauf  die  Krankheit  bald  ihren 
epidemischen  bosartigen  Charakter  verier,  bald  war  sie  vollstan- 
dig  beseitigt,  und  nur  die  Nachwehen  zeigten  sich  noch  in  gut- 
artiger  Weise  als  leichte  intermittirende  Fieber. 


81  Strubberg  uses  the  form  "Schubbert" ;  his  contemporary  colonists  use 
'Schubert"  in  the  Fest-Ausgabe. 


42  Fricdrich  Armand  St rubbery 

"Doctor  Schubbert  sorgte  nun  fur  bessere  Verpflegung  der 
Schutzbefohlenen  des  Vereins,  sowie  fiir  den  Transport  derer, 
die  noch  an  der  Seekiiste  lagerten,  er  griindete  ein  Waisenhaus 
und  brachte  die  vielen  alternlosen  verlassenen  Kinder  darin  unter, 
und  er  trat  versohnend  und  vermittelnd  zwischen  die  Generaldi- 
rection  und  die  Emigranten.  Nachdem  die  Zustande  in  Neu- 
Braunfels  wieder  ein  freundlicheres  Ansehen  gewonnen  batten, 
fiihrte  er  gegen  fiinfzig  Familien  hundert  Meilen  weiter  nordlich 
in  die  Gebirge,  wo  jenseits  des  Pierdenalesflusses  die  zweite  Nie- 
derlassung,  die  Stadt  Friedrichsburg,  gebaut  wurde."32 

From  this  passage  it  is  at  once  apparent,  that  Strubberg  has 
introduced  his  experiences  with  a  good  deal  of  literary  freedom. 
From  it  we  infer  that  he  was  also  active  in  Neu-Braunfels  which 
is,  however,  not  corroborated  by  any  external  historical  evidence. 
He  attempts  throughout  the  above-named  work  to  give  us  a  clear 
picture  of  the  "Verein's"  attempts  at  colonization  and  only 
naturally  speaks  of  his  own  service  in  rather  glowing  terms. 

However  effective  Strubberg  may  have  been  in  his  capacity 
of  colonial  director,  his  character  as  Doctor  Schubbert  seems  to 
have  been  held  in  disfavor  by  some  of  the  early  colonists.  In 
the  Fest-Ausgabe,  the  only  detailed  source,  exclusive  of  Strub- 
berg's  own  works,  for  this  period  of  the  author's  life,  the  fol 
lowing  incidents  regarding  Strubberg  as  Kolonial-Direktor 
Schubbert  are  related : 33 

"Durch  H.  F.  Fischer  wurde  Meusebach  in  Houston  ein 
Dr.  Schubert  als  tikhtiger  Arzt  und  Kolonisator  empfohlen  und 
daraufhin  als  Arzt  und  Verwalter  von  ihm  in  der  neuen  Nieder- 
lassung  Friedrichsburg  angestellt,  wahrend  Meusebach  selber 
bei  den  wohlhabenden  Amerikanern  am  Brazos  und  Colorado 
Mais  auf  Credit  ankaufte  und  Fuhrwerke  zur  Beforderung  der 
Emigranten  zu  engagieren  suchte."34 

"Ich  meldete  mich  bei  dem  neu  creirten  Direktor  der  Kolo- 


93  Friedrichsburg.    Leipzig,  1867,  p.  33  f. 

*  The  following  remarks  are  taken  bodily  from  the  various  contributions 
which  make  up  the  Fest-Ausgabe.  Many  are  very  casual  indeed,  but  all  shed 
light  on  the  character  of  the  author. 

M  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  50. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  43 

nie  Friedrichsburg,  Dr.  Schubert  (Struhbach),  und  wurde  mit 
hochtonenden  Worten  angenommen."35 

"Urn  den  10.  oder  12.  Juni  1846  bekam  ich  den  Auftrag, 
einen  Emigranten-Zug  zu  begleiten,  der  sich  ausserhalb  Braun- 
fels  bilclete.  .  .  .  Herr  Schubert  besuchte  uns  im  Lager  und  ich 
erhielt  noch  verschiedene  Instruktionen  von  ihm  beziiglich  eini- 
ger  leicht  kranker  Personen."36 

"Inzwischen  hatte  Dr.  Schubert  in  Friedrichsburg  eine  mi 
serable  Wirthschaft  gefiihrt  und  schliesslich  eine  Compagnie 
Soldaten  gebildet  und  mit  dieser  unter  Mitnahme  der  Vereins- 
kanone  einen  Zug  nach  dem  Grant-Lande  unternommen.  Er  kam 
aber  nur  bis  an  die  Grenze  des  Comanche-Indianer-Gebietes — 
dem  Llanofluss — wo  er  wieder  umkehrte,  ohne  einen  ernstlichen 
Versuch  zum  Weitervordringen  zu  machen.  Er  berichtete  an 
Meusebach,  der  ihm  nie  einen  Auftrag  dieser  Art  ertheilt  hatte, 
es  sei  moglich  weiter  zu  kommen."37 

"Dieses  und  der  bose  Eindruck,  welchen  Schubert's  uniiber- 
legter  und  missglikkter  Zug  gemacht  hatte,  bewog  Meusebach, 
selber  mit  20  Mann  und  3  Wagen  im  Januar  1847  von  Friedrichs 
burg  nach  dem  Lande  der  Comanche-Indianer  aufzubrechen.  .  .  . 
Als  er  dann  nach  dreimonatlicher  Abwesenheit  im  Indianerge- 
biete  nach  Neu-Braunfels  zuriickgekehrt  war,  legte  er  am  20. 
Juli  1847  sein  Amt  als  General- Agent  des  Adelvereins  nieder, 
nicht  ohne  vorher  noch  den  sauberen  Dr.  Schubert  seiner  Stelle 
in  Friedrichsburg  entsetzt  zu  haben."38 

"Schubert  (alias  Struhberg)  war  nach  der  Farm  Nassau 
gezogen,  fiir  welche  er  einen  Pachtkontrakt  hatte.  Spies  gerieth, 
wahrscheinlich  beeinflusst  durch  andere  Interessirte,  auf  die  un- 
selige  Idee,  Schubert  mit  Gewalt  von  der  Farm  Nassau  zu  ver- 
treiben.  Es  kam  zum  nachtlichen  Kampfe,  bei  welchem  der  Ma- 
ler  Rohrdorf  erschossen  wurde.  Spies  und  Genossen  wurden  da- 
raufhin  unter  die  Anklage  des  Mordes  gestellt  und  dieser  Prozess 
kostete  dem  Verein  ziemlich  viel  Geld."39 


ulbid,  p.  65. 

*Ibid. 

"I bid,  p.  51  f. 

*  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  52. 

"Ibid. 


44  Fried  rich  Arm  and  Strubberg 

"Schubert  kam  (so  glaube  ich)  im  Oktober,40  und  musste 
gleich  ein  Extra-Bretter-Haus  fur  ihn  und  eine  Kiiche  fiir  seine 
Kochin,  eine  verwittwete  Frau  Werthmann,  gebaut  werden.  Er 
brachte  ein  ganzes  Gefolge  ihm  treu  ergebener  Personen  mit,  die 
jedeni  seiner  Winke  gehorchten."41 

"Wir  waren  in  der  Richtung  nach  dem  "Bullhead"  aufge- 
brochen  und  hatten  bald  den  "House  Mountain"  in  Sicht.  Ver- 
schiedene  Hirsche,  Wildkatzen  und  Muskhogs  wurden  unterwegs 
geschossen.  Es  war  ziemlich  warm,  als  wir  in  der  Nahe  des  ge- 
nannten  Berges  waren  und  einer  der  Parasiten,  die  auf  Vereins- 
kosten  lebten  und  nichts  dafiir  leisteten  (von  der  Bevolkerung 
"Vereins-Lumpen"  genannt),  ein  Kapitan  Gunst  von  den  Carli- 
sten  in  Spanien,  legte  etwas  von  seinem  Gepack  welches  er  auf 
dem  Pferd  hatte,  auf  den  Gepack-Wagen.  Schubert  sah  dies, 
und  da  er  Gunst  nicht  gut  leiden  mochte,  sagte  er  zu  ihm :  "Ein 
schlechtes  Schaf,  das  seine  Wolle  nicht  tragen  kann!"  Gunst 
nahm  dies  sehr  iibel  auf,  und  so  viel  ich  erfuhr,  war  eine  Forde- 
rung  zum  Duell  die  Folge.  Ob  dasselbe  stattfand,  kann  ich  nicht 
sagen,  doch  lag  Gunst  in  Friedrichsburg  spater  an  einem  Schuss 
im  Unterleib  krank  und  erschoss  sich  spater  selbst."42 

"Nach  zwei  Tagen,  gerade  am  Neujahrstage  1847,  langten 
wir  gegen  Mittag  auf  den  Palo  Alto-Hiigeln  an,  wo  abermals  ein 
Kanonenschuss  abgefeuert  wurde,  um  unsere  Ankunft  anzumel- 
den.  Wir  kamen  Nachmittags  an  und  Herr  Schubert  wurde  fei- 
erlich  empfangen.  ...  In  Folge  verschiedener  Meinungen  auf 
dieser  Reise  fanden  zwei  Duell forderungen  statt.  .  .  .  Zwischen 
Bene  und  Schubert  kam  es  nicht  zum  Austrage,  weil  Schubert 
als  ausgezeichneter  Schiitze  bekannt  war,  und  Bene  sich  deshalb 
nur  iibers  Schnupftuch  mit  ihm  schiessen  wollte,  damit  die 
Chancen  gleich  waren.  Schubert  nahm  das  nicht  an,  denn  dafiir 
war  ihm  sein  Leben  zu  lieb,  und  hat  jedenfalls  im  Stillen  klein 
beigegeben,  denn  man  horte  spater  nicht  mehr  davon."43 

"1847  wurde  mit  dem  Bau  des  Octagons  auf  dem  offentli- 

40  Strubberg  was  in  all  probability  already  in  Friedrichsburg  in  the  spring 
of  the  same  year. 

"Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  68. 
43  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  69  f . 
"Ibid,  p.  71  f. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  45 

chen  Platze,  nach  Anordnung  des  Schubert,  begonnen,  um  als  all- 
gemeine  Kirche  zu  clienen."44 

"Es  war  irn  Sommer  1848,  als  Schubert  uns  verliess,  um 
von  der  Farm  Nassau  Besitz  zu  ergreifen."45 

"Zwei  der  erklarten  Feinde  von  Schubert  waren  ausersehen, 
Herrn  Schubert  und  die  Familie  v.  Sawicz  nach  der  Farm  Nas 
sau  zu  bringen.  Fin  Herr  Thiele  und  meine  Personlichkeit,  zum 
grossen  Arger  von  Schubert."40 

"Ich  kann  nicht  unterlassen,  cine  Bemerkung  iiber  den 
Rechts-Zustand  in  der  Kolonie  zu  machen.  Wir  gehorten,  ehe 
Gillespie  County  organisiert  wurde,  zu  Bexar  County.  Es  war 
ein  weiter  und  gefahrvoller  Weg  dorthin.  Die  Gerechtigkeits- 
pflege  nahm  deshalb  jeder  in  seine  Hand  und  es  gait  oft  das  Recht 
des  Starkeren.  Wer  z.  B.  sich  missliebig  iiber  Herrn  Schubert 
und  seine  Verwaltung  ausserte,  musste  "pater  peccavi"  sagen  oder 
wurde  ausgewiesen. — Zum  Beispiel :  Ein  Mann  Namens  Bern 
stein,  der  ein  Fuhrwerk  des  Vereins  trieb,  sollte  eines  Tages  nach 
Braunfels  fahren,  fiihlte  sich  aber  nicht  ganz  wohl.  Man  rieth 
ihm  an,  zum  Dr.  Schubert  zu  gehen.  "Nein,"  sagte  er,  "ich  gehe 
nicht !  Der  Doktor  ist  kein  Doktor ;  er  giebt  atzende  Medizinen !" 
Er  fuhr  los  und  seine  Aeusserung  wurde  Schubert  hinterbracht. 
Sogleich  wurden  zwei  Mann  von  Schubert's  Schergen  zu  Pferde 
und  bewaffnet  nachgeschickt,  um  ihn  zuriickzubringen.  Bern 
stein  kannte  Schubert's  Vorleben;  von  ihm  erfuhren  wir  eben- 
falls,  dass  er  Struhbach  hiess.  Als  er  ankam,  nahm  ihn  Schubert 
in  seine  Wohnung,  wo  sie  einige  Zeit  bei  verriegelter  Thiire  blie- 
ben.  Bernstein  kam  endlich  heraus,  iibernahm  sein  Gespann  und 
Mann  und  Vereinsfuhrwerk  sah  man  niemals  wieder."47 

"In  dem  Absetzungs-Dekret  fur  Schubert,  welches  als  der 
letzte  offizielle  Akt  des  zuriickgetretenen  Generalkommissars 
Meusebach  angesehen  werden  kann,  wurde  gleichzeitig  Herr  Jo- 
hann  Jacob  v.  Coll,  bisheriger  Rechnungsfuhrer  des  Vereins,  zum 
Kolonial-Direktor  von  Friedrichsburg  ernannt.  Ihm  gebiihrt  das 


"  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  73. 

48  Other  evidence  determines  this  date  as  1847. 

**  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  74. 

47  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  79  f. 


46  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

Verdienst,  mit  gewohnter  kraftiger  und  erfahrener  Hand  die  un- 
ter  Schubert  verlodderte  Vereins-Verwaltung  in  Friedrichsburg 
wieder  in  Ordnung  gebracht  zu  haben."48 

"Die  Zeiten  der  Hungersnoth  und  epidemisch  auftretenden 
Krankheiten  in  der  Kolonie  Friedrichsburg  waren  grausam  harte 
und  verfehlten  naturgemass  nicht,  viele  der  schwacheren,  ver- 
zweifelnden  Charaktere,  beeinflusst  durch  gewissenlose  Beamte 
wie  Schubert  und  Consorten — zu  demoralisiren."49 

Friedrich  Kapp,  in  speaking  of  the  Friedrichsburg  Colony, 
says :  "Dabei  bildeten  eigenniitzige  und  gewaltthatige  Handlun- 
gen  der  untergeordneten  Vereinsbeamten  die  Tagesordnung.  Die 
Herren  lebten,  wahrend  Meusebach  vergeblich  im  Osten  Geld  auf- 
zutreiben  suchte  .  .  .,  herrlich  in  Freuden,  huldigten  ihren  no- 
belen  Passionen  und  fiihrten  eine  Willkiir-  und  Gunstlingsherr- 
schaft  ein,  welche  Riicksichtslosigkeit  und  Uebermuth  auf  der 
einen  Seite,  knechtische  Furcht  und  Servilismus  auf  der  andern 
im  Gefolge  hatte.  Charakteristisch  in  letzterer  Beziehung  ist  die 
Antwort  eines  Friedrichsburgers,  der  auf  die  an  ihn  gerichtete 
Frage  des  gewissenlosen  Kolonialdirektors  Schubert :  "Ob  er  sei- 
nen  Hund  gesehen?"  demiithig  erwiderte:  "Sie  sincl  eben  um  die 
Ecke  gelaufen,  Herr  Kolonialdirektor!"50 

The  above  rather  disjointed  citations,  however  derogatory 
they  may  be  to  Strubberg's  character,  are  nevertheless  interest 
ing.  To  be  sure  they  are  strangely  inconsistent  with  the  noble 
character  and  magnanimity  everywhere  evident  in  Strubberg's 
works,  as  well  as  with  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  afterwards 
held  by  his  fellow-countrymen  during  his  many  remaining  years 
in  Germany.  The  remarks,  in  part  contradictory  and  erroneous, 
strewn  throughout  the  pages  of  the  Fest-Ausgabe,  were  gathered 
from  reminiscences  of  aged  colonists  fifty  years  after  those 
troublesome  days,  one  of  whom  at  least  was  the  confessed  enemy 


*•  Ibid,  p.  205. 

w  Ibid.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  that  the  colonists  were  aware  that  "Dr. 
Schubert"  was  only  an  assumed  name.  The  forms  "Struhberg"  and  "Struh- 
bach"  (used  in  the  above  remarks)  show  that  their  knowledge  of  his  identity 
was  very  indefinite  however ;  much  less  do  they  seem  ever  to  have  discovered 
that  Kolonial-Direktor  Schubert  was  afterwards  the  well-known  novelist 
Armand. 

M  Friedrich  Kapp:  Aus  und  iiber  Amerika.    Berlin,  1876,  p.  275. 


Friedrich  Arniand  Stmbbcrg  47 

of  Dr.  Schubbert.     The  impartial  reader  of  today  must  unques 
tionably  accept  these  remarks  with  some  modifications. 

In  remarkable  contradiction  also  to  the  hostile  views 
expressed  in  the  above  citations  against  Dr.  Schubbert,  is  the 
following  most  interesting  document : 

Hochgeehrter  Herr  Director! 

Kaum  war  uns  die  erfreuliche  Kunde  von  Ihrer  Zuriickkimft 
aus  dem  Vereinsgebiete  am  Llano  geworden,  als  unsere  Freude 
durch  die  Nachricht  "Sie  wiirden  uns  in  den  nachsten  Tagen  schon 
wieder  verlassen,"  und  was  noch  das  harteste  ist,  auch  vielleicht 
nicht  wieder  zu  uns  zuriickkehren,  auf  das  empfindlichste  getriibt 
wurde. 

Hoffen  wir,  dass  letztere  Nachricht  unbegriindet  sei,  und  das 
Werk,  das  eigentlich  in  Friedrichsburg  durch  Sie  erst  begriindet 
wurde,  nicht  dem  Untergange  preisgegeben  werde,  dem  es  leider! 
nur  zu  nahe  war. 

Unsre  Bescheidenheit  verbietet  es  uns  Ihnen,  verehrtester 
Mann!  alle  die  Verdienste  aufzuzahlen,  die  Sie  sich  in  der  kurzen 
Zeit  Ihres  Hierseins  um  uns  erworben  haben.  Sie  waren  es,  der 
uns  als  Hiilfe  erschien,  da  die  Not  und  das  Elend  am  hochsten  war. 
Sie  waren  der  rettende  Engel,  da  Sie  vielen  von  uns  und  unseren 
Kindern  durch  Ihre  aufopfernde  Hingebung  Leben  und  Gesundheit 
wiedergebracht  haben.  Sie  haben  durch  Ihre  rastlose  Thatigkeit 
fur  die  Befriedigung  unserer  nothwendigsten  Lebensbediirfnisse 
gesorgt.  woran  wir  friiher  oftmals  den  driickensten  Mangel  litten, 
kurz  Sie  waren  es,  wodurch  die  Hoffnung  auf  eine  frohe  und  ge- 
sicherte  Zukunft  von  Neuem  in  uns  belebt  wurde,  und  Sie  sollten 
uns  velassen  ?  Das  verhiite  Gott ! 

Sollte  es  wirklich  der  Fall  sein,  sollte  sich  diese  Schreckensnach- 
richt  wirklich  bestatigen,  so  ist  ganz  Friedrichsburg  in  tiefster  Trau- 
er,  besonders  auch  noch  deshalb,  weil  Ihr  Ausscheiden  aus  der  hie- 
sigen  Direktion  vielleicht  auch  das  Scheiden  des  Mannes  nach  sich 
ziehen  wurde,  der  eben falls  das  allgemeine  Vertrauen  und  die  unge- 
theilteste  Liebe  aller  Einwohner  von  Fridrichsburg  sich  erworben 
hat,  eines  Mannes,  der  sich  besonders  in  Ihrer  Abwesenheit  durch 
seine  weise  Fiirsorge  als  kluger  und  umsichtsvoller  Geschaftsmann 
und  zugleich  als  ein  liebreicher  Vater  den  Einwohnern  von  Frie 
drichsburg  bewiesen  hat,  wir  meinen  unsern  verehrten  und  allge- 
mein  geachteten  Proviantmeister  Herrn  Bickel. 

Sollten  wir  also  Sie  beide  verlieren,  worauf  wir  unser  unbe- 
grenztes,  ungetheiltes  Vertrauen  setzen,  so  wurde  uns  dadurch  eine 
Wunde  geschlagen,  die  so  bald,  ja  vielleicht  nie  wieder  heilen  wiirde ! 

Wir  wagen  demnach  unsere  so  dringende  als  ergebenste  Bitte 
an  Sie,  uns  nicht  zu  verlassen,  oder,  wenn  Geschafte  oder  sonstige 
Verhaltnisse  Sie  von  uns  rufen,  recht  bald  wieder  zu  uns  zurikkzu- 


48  Friedrich  Armand  Sir ubber g 

kehren,  und  dadurch  die  Sorge  zu  verscheuchen  die  durch  die  Nach- 
richt  von  Ihrem  moglichen  Scheiden,  so  schwer  auf  tins  lastet. 

Empfangen  Sie  die  Versicherung  unserer  ganzlichen  Hingabe 
und  ungetheilten  Liebe.51 

Friedrichsburg,  d.  3.  Juni  1847. 

Die  dankbaren   Einwohner  von   Friedrichsburg. 

Ernst  Dannheim  Heinrich  Leierschwohl     Philipp  Klarmend 

Heinrich  Newig  Heinrich  Winkel  Schnlz 

Karl  Meier  Heinrich  Schmitt  Conrad  Wittneben 

Ferdinand  Schulze  Peter  Engelmann  Jakob  D.  Wiirzbach 

Johann  G.  Braun  August  Spilker  Ludolpf  Meyer 

Daniel  Weiershause  F.  Kiehm  Johann  Leyendecker  I 

Heinrich  August  W.  Tiel  Johannes  Peter  Keller 

Heimann  Christoph  Frage  N.  Wamel 

Christian  Althaus  Kaspar  Danz  C.  Marschall 

Friedrich  Pape  Johannes  Christ  Philipp  Simon 

Wilhelm  Stieren  Conrad  Pliimesse 

Fritz  ....  Kutscher  Friedrich  Budde 

Susmann  Friedrich  Leifeste  und 

Johann  Nicol.  Schmitt  Heinrich  Leifeste 

Karl  Usener  Jakob  Roder 

A.  Krieger  Gottfried  Bader 

Fried.  Sucherd  Philipp  Mahr 

Schandua  Johannes  Mahr 

Christoph  Noges  Martin  Mahr 

Lehrer  F.  Leyendecker  Heinrich  Gadt 

Friedrich  Metzger  Peter  Honig 

Christian  August  Halm  Hermann  Honig 

Heinrich  Jordan  Heinrich  Kammlah 

Johann  Metzger  Conrad  Welge 

Jacob  Harth  Christopf  Brinkrolf 

Johann  Keller  Peter  Behrens 

Anton  Menges  Conrad  Mund 

Joh.  Ad.  Keller  Friedrich  Bahntge 
H.  Basse 
Adolf  Hermann 

L.  Wahrmund  Auf  Verlangen  des  Herrn  Direktor  Schub- 

Carl  Wegrich  bert  beglaube  ich  dienstlich  die  vorstehenden 

Gottlieb  Fischer  Unterschriften  der  hiesigen  Burger. 
Martin  Hellmuth 

Friedrichsburg,  d.  20.  Juni  1847. 

P.  BICKEL, 

Friedensrichter. 


81  The  above  document  is  in  the  possession  of  Herr  Ebert  of  Gelnhausen, 
to  whom  it  was  given  by  the  author. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  49 

According  to  the  Fest-Amgabe,  the  first  immigrants  arrived 
in  Friedrichsburg  in  March,  1846.  Soon  thereafter  Dr.  Schub- 
bert  (Strubberg)  was  appointed  as  physician  and  Director  of  the 
Colony.  July  20,  1847,  Herr  von  Meusebach  resigned  his  posi 
tion  as  general  agent,  but  not  before  Dr.  Schubbert  had  been  dis 
charged.  Strubberg's  period  of  activity  in  Friedrichsburg  lies 
therefore  between  March,  1846,  and  July  20,  1847.  Soon  there 
after  Strubberg  moved  to  the  Nassau  plantation  in  Fayette 
County,  which  had  been  cleared  by  Count  Boos-Waldek  in  1842. 
How  long  Strubberg  remained  here  is  not  known. 

Otfrid  Mylius  (Karl  Miiller)  writes:  "Als  der  Krieg  der 
Vereinigten  Staaten  mit  Mexico  ausbrach  und  Armand  seiner 
Aufgabe,  den  deutschen  Landsleuten  beizustehen  und  sie  vom 
Untergang  zu  bewahren,  vollstandig  geniigt  hatte,  konnte  Ar 
mand  dem  Verlangen  nicht  widerstehen,  das  schone  Land  Mexico 
kennen  zu  lernen  und  den  Krieg  mitzumachen.  Er  schiffte  sich 
also  nach  Veracruz  ein,  nahm  unter  General  Scott  beinahe  am 
ganzen  mexicanischen  Kriege  teil  und  verliess  das  herrliche  Land 
erst  mit  den  letzten  abziehenden  amerikanischen  Truppen."52  The 
war  between  Mexico  and  the  United  States  continued  from  April, 
1846,  to  September,  1847.  Mylius'  assertion  cannot  therefore 
be  correct  for  the  reason  that  Strubberg  was  for  the  greater  part 
of  that  period  active  as  colonial  director  in  Friedrichsburg.  If  he 
served  in  the  Merican  War  at  all,  and  certain  of  his  works53  lead 
us  to  believe  that  he  did,  it  must  have  been  very  soon  after  his 
departure  from  Friedrichsburg  in  the  summer  of  1847.  Accord 
ing  to  Mylius,  Strubberg  landed  in  New  Orleans  in  the  spring  of 
1848,  returning  from  the  war.  There  he  heard  the  urgent  appeal 
for  physicians  in  Arkansas,  which  was  being  devastated  by  small 
pox,  cholera,  and  fevers,  and  determined  at  once  to  respond  to 
this  call  of  distress.  He  provided  himself  with  the  necessary 
medical  materials,  and  went  to  Camden  on  the  Washita  where  an 
epidemic  of  fever  was  raging.  Strubberg  was  greeted  here  as  a 
deliverer  and  under  his  energetic  and  ceaseless  efforts  the  disease 


**  See  Kolnische  Zeitung.    18.  Aug.,  1889. 

M  Cf.   Scenen  aus  den  Kdmpfen  der  Mexikaner  und  N or  dam  erikaner. 
Breslau,  1859;  also  In  Mexico.    Hannover,  1865. 


50  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

was  soon  checked.  Strubberg  had  won  recognition  and  was  in 
duced  to  settle  in  Camden;  his  turbulent  roving  life  was  at  last  to 
flow  in  a  smoother  channel.  He  built  for  himself  a  beautiful  resi 
dence,  was  active  in  his  medical  practice,  and  became  engaged  to 
a  wealthy  lady,  apparently  the  owner  of  a  plantation  and  holder 
of  slaves.  He  was  on  the  point  of  entering  a  life  of  domestic  hap 
piness  when  an  accident  occurred  which  was  to  change  his  entire 
future  life.  While  on  a  chase  ofter  bears,  which  were  then  cre 
ating  havoc  among  the  cattle  of  the  community,  he  was  stung  in 
his  right  eye  by  a  poisonous  insect  and  his  sight  was  endangered. 
For  more  than  a  year  Strubberg  himself  gave  the  eye  medical 
treatment,  but  without  favorable  results.  He  finally  concluded  to 
return  to  Europe  for  a  year  to  seek  medical  aid  and  in  1854  he 
sailed  for  France  to  consult  eye  specialists  there.  His  efforts  to 
gain  relief  during  the  next  two  years  took  him  to  Paris,  Berlin, 
Gottingen,  Heidelberg,  Wiesbaden,  and  Marburg,  but  nowhere 
was  a  permanent  cure  effected.  Strubberg  had  already  given  up 
all  hope,  when  Hofrat  de  Loew  in  Grafrath  near  Elberfeld  was 
recommended  to  him  in  the  highest  terms.  Strubberg  hastened 
to  consult  him  and  under  his  attendance  soon  recovered.54  The 
eye  was  saved  though  it  had  suffered  in  sight.55 

Concerning  the  effect  of  this  incident  on  Strubberg's  future 
life,  Mylius  says:  "Allein  diese  Heimsuchung  hatte  trotz  dem 
giinstigen  Erfolg  der  Cur  doch  Armands  ganzer  Lebensstellung 
einen  ganzlichen  Umschwung  gegeben.  Er  musste  abermals  sein 
Leben  neu  aufbauen,  denn  mittlerweile  waren  alle  Verhaltnisse 
anders  geworden:  der  amerikanische  Biirgerkrieg  war  ausge- 
brochen,  die  Sklaven  waren  freigegeben,  der  Siiden  verwiistet 
worden.  Das  Eigentum,  welches  Armand  in  Arkansas  zurikkge- 
lassen  hatte,  war  zerstreut  worden,  seine  Braut  war  gestorben, 
die  Zustande  in  den  Siidstaaten  waren  noch  ungeregelt  und  be- 
durften  langer  Zeit,  bis  Sicherheit  des  Eigentums  und  der  Person 
wieder  hergestellt  waren.  Armand  konnte  daher  nicht  daran  den- 
ken,  nach  Arkansas  zurikkzukehren."  These  remarks  must  be 


64  Cf.  Otf rid  Mylius  in  the  Koln.  Zeit. 

"Friends  of  the  novelist  living  in  Gelnhausen  today,  told  the  writer  that 
Strubberg's  one  eye  had  a  gray  coating  over  it. 


Friedrich  Arm  and  Strubberg  51 

taken  cum  grano  sails.  The  civil  war  did  not  begin  until  1860,  at 
a  time  when  Strubberg  had  already  taken  up  his  abode  in  Kassel, 
and  two  years  after  his  first  work  appeared.  His  property  in  the 
form  of  slaves  (and  we  conclude  from  his  works  that  he  was  a 
slave-owner)  could  therefore  not  have  been  destroyed.  In  short, 
the  above  reasons  for  Strubberg's  remaining  away  from  Arkansas 
are  unsatisfactory.  In  fact  we  know  little  more  than  that  he 
henceforth  remained  in  Germany. 

Strubberg's  only  sister  Emilie,  an  elderly  maiden  lady, 
resided  in  Kassel.  As  the  daughter  of  the  wealthy  tobacco  mer 
chant  she  had  enjoyed  an  unusually  careful  education.  After 
the  reverses  in  fortunes,  of  the  Strubberg  family,  Emilie  was 
obliged  to  resort  to  her  accomplishments  as  a  means  of  securing 
a  livelihood.  During  all  the  long  years  of  her  brother's  absence 
in  America  she  had  supported  herself  as  a  translator  and  teacher 
of  languages.56  It  was  this  surviving  sister  who  drew  Strub 
berg  back  to  his  native  city.  The  return  to  Kassel  of  the  "Welt- 
Bummler,"  the  gallant  Fritz  of  many  years  ago,  is  best  told  in 
the  words  of  W.  Bennecke:  "Es  war  im  Herbste  des  Jahres  1854 
als  in  den  Strassen  Kassels,  die  damals  noch  nicht  so  belebt  wa- 
ren  wie  heutzutage,  eine  eigenartige  Mannergestalt,  die  allgemeine 
Aufmerksamkeit  auf  sich  zog.  Man  fragte  sich,  wer  der  hoch- 
gewachsene  Mann  mit  dem  langen,  wellenformig  gedrehten 
Schnurrbart,  der  schwarzen  Binde  iiber  dem  einen  Auge,  dem 
spitzen,  schrag  aufgestiilpten  Cylinder  und  dem  grossen  mit  dem 
einen  Ende  iiber  die  Schulter  geschlagenen  Reitermantel  wohl 
sein  moge?  Mit  langen  schnellen  Schritten  eilte  er  dahin,  bei  den 
ihm  Begegnenden  den  Eindruck  des  Fremdartigen,  sowie  einer 
sturmischen  Vergangenheit,  hervorrufend.  Der  jiingeren  Gene 
ration  war  der  neue  Ankommling  vollig  fremd,  der  alteren  aber 
war  er  von  zwanzig,  dreissig  Jahren  her  bekannt  und  es  hiess : 
"Es  ist  der  Fritz  Strubberg,  der  aus  Amerika  herubergekommen, 
um  seine  Schwester  zu  besuchen"."57 


66  In  the  address  book  of  Kassel  for  1860  we  read :  "Emilie  Strubberg, 
Lehrerin  der  deutschen,  franzosischen,  englischen,  italienischen,  spanischen, 
portugiesischen,  hollandischen  und  bohmischen  Sprachen." 

H  See  Hessenland,  Kassel,  2.  Mai,  1889. 


52  Friedrich  Armand  Strnbberg 

Strubberg,  however,  did  not  at  that  time  settle  permanently 
in  Kassel.  For  a  long  time  he  remained  in  Marburg  where  he 
received  medical  treatment  for  his  eye  from  the  celebrated  physi 
cian  Dr.  Sonnemeyer.  Then  again  he  resided  in  Hannover  or 
with  his  intimate  friend  Freiherr  Spiegel  vom  Desenberg,  in 
Langensalza.  Not  till  1860  did  he  settle  in  Kassel  as  his  fixed 
place  of  residence. 

Already  more  than  fifty  years  of  age,  Strubberg  now  entered 
upon  that  career  which  was  to  insure  him  a  significant  place  in 
the  history  of  the  German  novel.  What  induced  him,  not 
schooled  in  literary  expression,  to  enter  upon  a  literary  career 
so  late  in  life?  His  own  explanation  is  given  in  the  Vorwort 
to  his  first  work  Amerikanlsche  Jagd  und  Reiseab enfetter: 
"Der  Westen  Amerikas  zieht  von  Tage  zu  Tage  mehr  die  Blicke 
von  Europa  und  besonders  von  Deutschland  auf  sich,  und  Mit- 
theilungen  liber  jene  noch  so  wenig  bekannte  Lander,  namentlich 
wenn  sie  aus  unmittelbarer  Anschauung  fliessen  und  eigene  Er- 
lebnisse  schildern,  diirften  darum  auf  einen  grossen  Kreis  von  Le- 
sern  rechnen.  Dennoch  wurden  die  vorliegenden  Blatter  nicht 
dafiir  niedergeschrieben  und  waren  ursprunglich  nur  fur  eine 
Schwester  bestimmt,  deren  Liebe  mich  fast  ganz  allein  noch  an 
die  alte  Heimath  fesselte,  und  deren  Gedanken  mir  unablassig  in 
weite  Fernen,  unter  mancherlei  Gefahren  und  Beschwerden  bis  zu 
den  aussersten  Grenzen  der  Indianergebiete  wahrend  eines  Zeit- 
raums  von  sechzehn  Jahren  folgten.  .  .  .  Und  so  fiigte  ich  mich 
endlich  ihren  Wiinschen,  die  Begebenheiten  meines  Lebens,  meine 
Jagd-  und  Reiseabenteuer  in  Amerika  zu  veroffentlichen."  Strub 
berg,  as  is  evident  again  and  again  throughout  his  works,  never 
hesitated  to  sacrifice  the  unadorned  truth  to  his  literary  purposes. 
The  account  of  the  beginnings  of  his  literary  activities  as  given  by 
W.  Bennecke58  (a  personal  friend  of  the  author)  is  probably  more 
accurate  than  that  in  the  above  Vorwort.  Strubberg,  upon  his  ar 
rival  in  Kassel,  was  eagerly  received  into  the  higher  circles  of  the 
city's  social  life.  His  fascinating  personality,  his  many  travels 
and  adventures,  and  his  exceptional  conversational  faculties,  made 


Cf.  Hessenland,  Kassel,  2.  Mai,  1889. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  53 

him  a  welcome  figure  among  the  friends  of  his  youthful  days 
as  well  as  among  those  of  the  younger  generation.  Hotel  Schom- 
bardt  at  Wilhelmshohe  was  a  favorite  rallying  place,  and  there 
many  a  pleasant  afternoon  and  evening  spent.  Dr.  Strub 
berg,  with  his  remarkable  tales  of  adventure,  ever  new,  varied, 
and  endless,  never  wanted  for  an  attentive  circle  of  listeners. 
Oberstallmeister  von  Eschwege  one  day  asked  Strubberg  to  put 
his  adventures  into  literary  form,  so  that  they  could  be  circulated 
among  his  friends  as  a  memorial  of  the  many  pleasant  hours 
which  had  been  afforded  them.  Strubberg  tried  his  hand  at  writ 
ing,  but  found  considerable  difficulty  in  this  unaccustomed  labor. 
During  his  many  years  in  America  he  had  accustomed  himself 
to  the  English  form  of  sentence  structure,  and  was  in  conse 
quence  frequently  hampered  in  expressing  himself.  His  sister 
Emilie  was  of  great  service  to  him  in  this  respect,  and  helped 
him  surmount  these  early  difficulties.  In  a  comparatively  short 
time  a  stout  volume  of  manuscript  was  at  hand.  It  found  great 
favor  among  Strubberg's  circle  of  friends,  who  persuaded  him  to 
seek  a  publisher  for  it.  Strubbing  was  fortunate  in  having  his 
manuscript  accepted  by  what  was  then  perhaps  the  chief  publish 
ing  house  in  Germany,  namely,  Cotta  in  Stuttgart,  which  pub 
lished  the  work  under  the  title  Amerikanische  Jagd-  und  Reise- 
abentcuer  aus  meinem  Leben  in  den  westlichen  Indianergebieten 
as  the  work  of  "Armand."  It  appeared  in  1858  and  was  well 
received.  "Der  Grosse  Kapitan,"  says  Bennecke,  "vergrub  sein 
Kriegsbeil  fur  immer  und  griff  statt  des  Tomahawks  zur  Feder." 
Strubberg  now  centered  his  entire  interest  and  energy  upon 
his  literary  work.  Possessed  with  a  susceptible  mind  and  glow 
ing  imagination,  he  needed  only  to  revert  to  his  long,  active,  and 
somewhat  checkered  career  in  America  as  an  inexhaustible  source 
for  literary  material.  In  the  same  year  (1858)  appeared  Bis  in 
die  Wildniss.  In  1859  appeared  An  der  Indianer  Grcnze  (4 
vols. ) ;  Alte  und  Neue  Heimath;  und  Scenen  aus  den  Kdmpfen 
der  Mexicaner  und  Nordamerikaner;  surely  no  mean  output  for 
one  year.  Fortune  favored  the  author.  Through  the  work  pub 
lished  by  Cotta,  the  name  of  Armand  became  familiar  through 
out  Germany.  The  name  of  Cotta  also  had  a  favorable  effect. 


54  Fricdrich  Armand  Strnbberg 

Publishers  throughout  the  country  were  only  too  desirous  of  pub 
lishing  the  works  of  Armand. 

By  1868  Strubberg  had  published  more  than  forty  volumes. 
At  about  this  time  his  literary  productivity  was  hindered  by  two 
very  unfortunate  events.  In  1860  the  author  had  taken  up  his 
residence  with  his  sister  Emilie  in  Kassel.  There  he  was  one 
day  visited  by  an  elderly  woman  who  was  none  other  than 
Antoinette  Sattler,  the  love  of  his  youthful  days  in  Bremen. 
She  had  remained  unmarried,  had  cherished  his  memory  through 
all  the  long  years  of  his  wanderings  in  America,  and  hearing  of 
his  return,  determined  to  visit  him.  The  old  flame  was  rekindled 
and  the  aged  couple  was  finally  united  in  marriage.59  One  day 
as  Strubberg  was  returning  to  his  house  on  Karlstrasse,  he 
noticed  a  crowd  gathered  before  his  dwelling  and  was  told  that  a 
woman  in  the  house  had  become  demented.  With  a  strange 
presentiment  he  hastened  forward  and  found  his  own  wife.  She 
no  longer  recognized  him  and  had  to  be  taken  to  an  asylum  where 
she  raved  herself  to  death.  Only  then  Strubberg  learned  that  his 
deceased  wife  had  concealed  the  fact  that  a  great  part  of  her  life 
had  been  spent  in  an  asylum  from  whence  she  had  been  released 
only  a  short  time  before  their  marriage.  The  author  bore  his 
sorrow  in  silence ;  in  fact  he  even  appears  to  have  endeavored  to 
conceal  this  marriage  in  his  later  years. 

The  second  event,  however  unfortunate  it  was  for  Strub 
berg,  only  emphasizes  the  remarkable  character  and  versatility  of 
the  man.  We  refer  to  the  famous  lawsuit  which  Strubberg,  as 
advocate  for  the  deposed  House  of  Hessen  successfully  conducted 
against  the  Prussian  government  in  the  interests  of  the  deposed 
princes'  feoffment  in  trust. 

On  January  5,  1831,  the  Elector  Wilhelm  II  gave  a  consti 
tution  to  Hessen,  whereupon  it  ceased  to  be  a  dynastic,  princely 
house.  Toward  the  end  of  1830,  while  Hessen  was  being 
remodeled  into  a  constitutional  state,  demand  was  made  that  a 


"See  Das  Trauungsbuch  der  Oberneustddter  Gemeinde,  in  Kassel:  Am 
5.  Juni,  1866,  wurden  in  der  Privatwohnung  des  Brautigams  getraut.  .  .  . 
Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg,  Burger  u.  Literal  .  .  .  und  Jungfrau  Antoinette 
Rosine  Henrietta  Sattler  .  .  .  geboren  u  Bremen  ...  am  24.  Juli,  1805. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  55 

decision  be  made  as  to  which  property  should  belong  to  the  state 
and  which  to  the  princely  family.  The  entire  Hessian  dynastic 
property  was  then  divided  into  "Staatseigenthum"  and  "Famil- 
ien  Fideicommiss."  The  latter  was  the  property  of  the  deposed 
house  alone.  "Es  ist  dessen  unbezweifeltes  und  ausschliessliches 
Eigenthum  und  kann  niemals  unter  dem  Vorgeben  irgend  einer 
andern  Eigenschaft  von  dem  Staate  oder  sonst  in  Anspruch  ge- 
nommen  werden."60  June  16,  1866,  the  Prussian  troops  under 
General  von  Beyer  entered  Hessen;  on  June  18  they  entered 
Kassel  and  not  only  took  complete  possession  of  the  state,  but 
also  the  private  property  of  the  princely  house,  which  had  been 
designated  as  absolutely  private  property.61 

The  members  of  the  Hessian  House  now  filed  suit  against 
the  Prussian  government  and  appointed  Strubberg  as  their  ad 
vocate.62  His  own  part  in  the  case  and  the  disappointments 
which  he  suffered  after  having  conducted  it  successfully  through 
many  years  is  best  told  in  his  own  words:  "Meine  schriftsteller- 
ische  Thatigkeit  wurde  durch  eine  neue  Aufgabe  unterbrochen, 
welche  seitens  der  Agnaten  eines  depossedirten  Hauses  an  mich 
gestellt  wurde.  Ich  hatte  den  Prinzen  W.  kennen  gelernt,  der 
mich  flehentlich  bat,  ihm  beizustehen,  seine  Rechte  an  dem  Fidei 
commiss- Vermogen  des schen  Hauses  gegen  den  preussi- 

schen  Fiscus  zu  verteidigen,  da  Preussen  zugleich  mit  dem 
Lande  auch  dieses  Privatvermogen  an  sich  genommen  hatte.  Ich 
erklarte  dem  Prinzen,  dass  ich  ja  nicht  Jurist  sei  und  mir  daher 
die  notigen  Kenntnisse  fehlten,  um  eine  solche  Aufgabe  mit  Er- 
folg  durchfiihren  zu  konnen;  dennoch  beharrte  er  bei  seinem 
Ansuchen  und  ich  versprach  ihm,  fur  ihn  zu  thun,  was  in  meinen 


*°  Cf.  Friedrich  Wilhelm  Ernst,  Prinz  von  Hessen :  Hat  das  Fideicommiss- 
Vermogen  der  kurfurstlich-hessischen  Familie  einen  Staatsrechtlichen  Charak- 
ter  oder  ist  es  deren  Privateigenthum?  Kassel,  1879. 

61  Cf .  Friedrich  Wilhelm  Ernst,  Prinz  von  Hessen :  Das  Familien-Fidei- 
commiss  des  kurfurstlich-hessischen  Hauses  in  seiner  rechtlichen  Natur  seit 
seiner  Entstehung  bis  auf  die  Gegenwart.    Kassel,  1878. 

62  Cf .  Letters  in  the  Appendix.     Strubberg  had  never  been  a  student  of 
law,  though  he  seems  to  have  given  the  law  some  attention  when  a  young 
man.     Law-suits   are   frequently  introduced  into  his   various   novels,  where 
they  are  carried  on  to  great  effect,  showing  a  close  knowledge  of  American 
law  and  a  cleverness  in  employing  the  same. 


56  Fried  rich  Annand  Strubbcrg 

Kraften  stehe.  Ich  begann  die  Angelegenheit  und  die  dahin  ein- 
schlagenden  Rechte  und  Gesetze  zu  studiren,  und  lieferte  dem 
Anwalte  des  Prinzen  die  Entwiirfe  zu  den  Eingaben  bei  den 
Behorden  und  den  Gerichten.  Da  starb  der  depossedirte  Fiirst 
und  Preussen  legte  dem  Abgeordnetenhause  einen  Gesetzent- 
wurf  zur  Genehmigung  vor,  wonach  mit  dem  Tode  des  Fiirsten 

das  Familien-Ficleicommiss-Vermogen  des  schen  Hauses 

in  das  preussische  Staatseigentum  iibergegangen  sei.  Man 
schrieb  mir  von  Berlin,  dass  die  Gesetzvorlage,  wenn  ich  nicht 
etwas  Besonderes  clagegen  thue,  ohne  Zweifel  durchgehen  und 
dann  alle  Rechte  der  Agnaten  an  dem  Vermogen  durch  das  Ge- 
setz  beseitigt  warden  wiirden.  Ich  Hess  schnell  einen  Protest 
gegen  die  Vorlage  drucken  und  im  Abgeordnetenhause  verteilen, 
und  dasselbe  erklarte  darauf,  dass  das  Haus  keine  Behorde  sei, 
welche  solche  Rechtsfragen  zu  entscheiden  habe;  das  sei  Auf- 
gabe  der  ordentlichen  Gerichte.  Ueber  diesen  Protest  wurde  ich 
wegen  Beleidigung  des  Fiscus  in  zwei  Instanzen  vor  Gericht  ge- 
stellt,  doch  beide  Mai  kostenlos  freigesprochen.  Die  Rechte  der 
Agnaten  standen  wieder  hoch;  mit  rastloser  Thatigkeit  schlug 
ich  alle  erneuerten  Angriffe  des  Fiscus  darauf  ab;  ich  vernich- 
tete  alle  die  unzahligen  Angriffe  in  der  Presse  dagegen,  lieferte 
die  Entwiirfe  zu  samtlichen  Processschriften  und  hatte  die  Re- 
visionsschrift  an  das  Reichsgericht  bereit,  als  die  Regierung 
Vergleichsunterhandlungen  einleitete,  welche  bald  zu  einem  ent- 
giiltigen  Vergleichsabschlusse  zwischen  ihr  und  den  Agnaten 
fiihrten  und  wodurch  einem  jeden  derselben  25,000  Thaler  Jah- 
resrente  und  ein  Schloss  zugestanden  wurde.  Dem  Prinzen  W. 
war  die  Rente  auf  sieben  Jahre  im  voraus  ausgezahlt  worden 
und  er  hatte  das  Schloss  R.  im  Werte  von  300,000  Thalern  in 
Besitz  genommen.  Von  allem  diesem  wiirde  er  ohne  meine  rast- 
lose  Tatigkeit  fur  ihn  niemals  von  Rechtswegen  einen  Pfennig 
erhalten  haben;  allein  als  ich  ihn  um  Erfiillung  des  Entschadi- 
gungsvertrages  zwischen  ihm  und  mir  suchte,  weigerte  er  sich, 
mir  fiir  meine  Thatigkeit  fiir  ihn  etwas  zu  vergiiten,  und  berief 
sich,  als  ich  gegen  ihn  klagte,  darauf,  dass  ich  sein  Advocat  ge- 
wesen  sei  und  als  solcher  kein  Recht  gehabt  habe,  noch  einen 
Extravertrag  iiber  eine  Vergiitung  fiir  meine  Arbeiten  mit  ihm 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  57 

zu  machen,  und  dass  mir  nichts  welter  als  die  Advocatengebuh- 
ren  zukamen. 

"Ich  hatte  zvvolf  Jahre  Tag  und  Nacht  fur  ihn  gearbeitet, 
hatte  meine  schriftstellerische  Thatigkeit  dabei  aufgeben  mus- 
sen,  welche  mir  etwa  3000  Thaler  jahrlich  einbrachte,  und  hatte 
nur  wahrend  der  letzten  vier  Jahre  monatlich  100  Thaler  von 
ihm  bezogen,  weil  ich  etwa  3000  Thaler  erspartes  Geld  auch  aus- 
gegeben  hatte  und  nicht  mehr  aus  eigenen  Mitteln  existiren 
konnte.  Ich  musste  den  Prinzen  verklagen  und  er  wurde  vom 
Gericht  verurteilt,  den  Vertrag  mit  mir  zu  erfiillen.  Diese  Be- 
handlung  war  eine  der  unerhortesten  Erfahrungen  meines  75- 
jahrigen  Lebens,  zumal  dass  ich  dem  Prinzen  nicht  allein  zu  sei- 
nem  Vermogen  verholfen,  sondern  ihm  auch  in  andern  wichti- 
gen  Lebens fragen  mit  gleicher  Treue  und  Anhanglichkeit  beige- 
standen  hatte.  Ich  hatte  ihn  von  einer  ihm  unfehlbaren  Unter- 
gang  drohenden  Krankheit  befreit,  gegen  welche  er  in  Deutsch- 
land  und  im  Ausland  vergebens  Hiilfe  gesucht,  hatte  seinen 
Scheidungsprocess  gegen  seine  erste  Gemahlin  gefiihrt,  hatte  in 
seinem  und  seines  spatern  Schwiegervaters  Auftrag  eine  Klage 
wegen  vermuteter  Vergiftung  seiner  Mutter  bei  der  Staatsan- 
waltschaft  eingeleitet,  war  im  Interesse  seiner  Sohne  aus  erster 
Ehe  tatig  gewesen,  hatte  fortwahrend  seine  Dienerschaft  er- 
ganzt,  kurz,  ich  hatte  alle  seine  hauslichen  und  geschaftlichen 
Angelegenheiten  besorgt  und  war  in  seinem  Interesse  fast  im- 
mer  unterwegs  gewesen,  und  nun  hatte  er  mich  in  meinen  alten 
Tagen  zum  Bettler  machen  wollen!  Die  Entriistung  iiber  die 
mir  angethane  schmahliche  Behandlung  fiir  alle  meine  treuen 
Dienste  und  Aufopferungen  wahrend  so  vieler  Jahre  warf  mich 
auf  das  Krankenlager,  von  dem  ich  mich  in  meinen  hohen  Jah- 
ren  nur  langsam  erholen  konnte  und  wobei  ich  meine  sonst  so 
unverwustliche  Arbeitskraft  fast  eingebiisst  habe,  und  so  werde 
ich  den  noch  sehr  grossen  Schatz  meiner  Lebenserinnerungen 
wohl  unbenutzt  mit  mir  ins  Jenseits  binubernehmen  miissen."68 
The  vexations  and  disappointment,  added  to  the  activities  of 
these  twelve  years,  had  sapped  the  vitality  of  the  old  man. 


w  See  Kolnische  Zeitung,  18.  August,  1889. 


58  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

A  certain  feeling  of  having  sustained  injuries  at  the  hands 
of  humanity,  a  trait  which  can  be  noticed  throughout  all  his 
works,  became  only  the  more  pronounced  in  his  later  years.  He 
even  entertained  a  sense  of  distrust  toward  those  who  were  near 
and  dear  to  him.  But  especially  was  this  distrust  manifested 
toward  his  publishers.  So  much  did  he  fear  the  unlawful  publi 
cation  of  his  works,  that,  while  a  work  of  his  was  being  set  up, 
he  would  each  evening  enter  the  office  and  seal  the  compositor's 
forms.  This  accounts  for  the  strange  explanatory  note  at  the 
end  of  some  of  his  works,64  to  the  effect  that  certain  inversions 
of  type  that  will  be  noticed  throughout  the  work  are  due  to  no 
error  on  the  part  of  the  compositors.  Strubberg  resorted  to 
this  as  a  means  of  detecting  all  illegitimate  reprints  of  such  works. 

After  the  death  of  his  sister  Emilie,  which  probably  occurred 
in  1876,  Strubberg  appears  to  have  engaged  a  housekeeper  and 
remained  in  Kassel  for  some  time.  In  1885  the  novelist,  prob 
ably  for  pecuniary  reasons,  moved  his  household  to  Gelnhausen 
on  the  Kinzig.  Here  in  this  quiet  little  Hessian  town,  once  the 
proud  seat  of  Friedrich  Barbarossa,  Strubberg  spent  the  few 
remaining  years  of  his  life  in  peace  and  quiet. 

The  literary  products  of  these  few  years  are  only  the  pitiful 
endeavors  of  senility,  and  reflect  no  credit  whatever  upon  the 
author.  Remembering  the  successes  of  his  earlier  years,  he  even 
ventured  on  expressing  himself  in  dramatic  form.  Unmindful 
that  his  earlier  successes  were  due  alone  to  the  fact  that  his 
works  reflected  the  actual  experiences  of  an  interesting  life,  he 
now  chose  material  quite  out  of  his  sphere.  Der  Freigeist,  Die 
Quadrone,  Gustavus  Adolphus,  and  Friedrich  Barbarossa  are 
only  fearful  proof  of  the  author's  total  lack  of  dramatic  school 
ing.  The  absolute  failure  of  these  plays  is  in  the  highest  degree 
pathetic. 

Strubberg  also  seems  to  have  had  plans  for  publishing  an 
abridged  edition  of  his  works.  The  infirmities  of  old  age  prob 
ably  hindered  him  in  this  task,  for  no  such  edition  was  published. 

There  are  those  in  Gelnhausen  today  who  vividly  recall  the 


•*  Cf .  Friedrichsburg  and  Aus  Armand's  Frontierleben. 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  59 

distinguished  and  mysterious  Dr.  Strubberg.  They  remember 
him  as  a  wonderful  narrator, — one  who  drew  yarns  from  some 
inexhaustible  source.  He  was  a  tall  man,  of  gigantic  frame,  and 
proud  bearing.  A  well-kept  wig  and  long  moustaches  carefully 
curled  by  his  housekeeper,  gave  evidence  of  his  personal  scrupu 
lousness.  Reclining  on  a  panther's  skin,  draped  over  a  huge 
divan,  once  the  property  of  Jerome  Bonaparte,  the  aged  author, 
passionately  smoking  one  cigarette  after  another,  was  never 
reluctant  to  entertain  the  willing  listeners  who  gathered  about 
him.  The  gray-coated  eye  and  an  arm  which  was  shrivelled  up 
from  having  been  wounded  by  a  poisonous  Indian  arrow  only 
added  conviction  to  his  wild  tales  of  life  among  the  Indians  on 
the  unexplored  frontiers  of  America.  The  ladies  remember  him 
as  a  tall  chivalrous  gentleman  who  had  a  most  fascinating  man 
ner  of  paying  court  to  their  gentle  sex.  The  men  remember 
him  as  a  tall  man  of  gigantic  strength,  who  even  in  these  latter 
days  drew  an  Indian  bow  with  a  vigor  which  defied  their  own 
strength.  To  the  children  of  Gelnhausen  the  author  of  Karl 
Scharnhorst.  Abenteuer  eines  deutschen  Knaben  in  Amerika  was 
Uncle  Strubberg.  One  of  these  children,  now  the  poet  Carl 
Heinz  Hill,  many  years  later  wrote  of  these  days :  "In  meiner 
Erinnerung  sehe  ich  ihn,  als  ware  es  gestern  gewesen,  vor  sei- 
nem  roten  Mahogoni-Schreibtisch  sitzen,  auf  dem  unter  Glasge- 
hausen  drei  Elfenbeinfiguren  standen.  An  den  Wanden  hingen 
dicht  verschleierte  Bilder,  Felle  erbeuteter  Tiere  und  WafTen  in 
Menge.  Er  selbst  war  ein  grosser  Kinderfreund  und  oft  bin  ich 
hiniibergelaufen  zum  Onkel  Strubberg.  Sein  Karl  Scharnhorst, 
den  er  mir  damals  schenkte,  gait  mir  ein  Heiligtum.  .  .  ,65 

Strubberg's  long  and  interesting  life  was  drawing  to  a  close. 
Eccentric  in  many  respects,  he  had  purchased  a  tombstone  some 
time  before  his  death,  had  his  epitaph,  with  the  exception  of  the 
date  of  his  decease,  engraved  upon  it,  and  had  it  placed  in  the 
basement  of  his  dwelling.  His  last  days  were  made  wretched 
by  an  acute  abdominal  disease.  He  died  on  April  3,  1889,  and 
was  buried  in  the  old  graveyard  in  Gelnhausen.  A  small  head- 


See  Die  Heimstatt,  i.  Marz,  1907. 


60  Fried  rich  Armand  Strubberg 

stone,  shaded  by  several  evergreens  and  in  an  iron  enclosure  over 
which  riot  the  vines  of  the  American  clematis,  which  he  desired 
to  have  upon  his  grave,  mark  the  final  resting-place  of  the  wan 
derer.  On  the  tombstone  we  read : 

Hier  ruht  in  Gott 
Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

Schriftsteller  Armand, 
geboren  zu  Cassel  am  18.  Marz  1806 
gestorben  zu  Gelnhausen  am  3.  April  1889. 

Am  Totensonntag  war's,  da  trieb  mich's  zu  dem  Ort, 

Wo  man  lebend'ger  Seelen  tote  Hiille  barg; 

Es  war  so  feierlich,  so  friedlich  dort, 

Leicht  strich  der  Herbstwind  nur  von  Sarg  zu  Sarg. 

Da  trat  ich  auch  zu  deiner  Ruhstatt  hin, 

Ein  kleines  Eisengitter  schliesst  sie  ein; 

Durch  die  Cypressen  fiel  ein  Sonnenstrahl 

Auf's  Epheu  und  den  schwarzen  Marmorstein. 

Da  kam  mir's  plotzlich  wieder  in  den  Sinn, 

Wie  ich  als  kleiner  Bursch,  auf  deinem  Schooss  gesessen, 

Und  manch  Erinnerungsbild  ward  in  mir  wach, 

Das  langst  verschwommen  mir  in  nuchternem  Vergessen 

Und  froh  gedacht  ich  jener  Jugendstunden, 

Da  du  mir  einst  erzahlt  aus  deinem  reichen  Leben 

Von  Lowenjagden,  Kampf  und  Kriegswunden, 

Von  Stadten  denen  du  Gesetz  gegeben.  — 

"Uniiberwindlich"  warst  du  einst  genannt, 
Siegreich  gingst  du  hervor  aus  Kampf  und  Not, 
Bis  schliesslich  dich  der  eine  iiberwand, 
Dem  noch  kein  Sterblicher  bestand, — der  Tod.  — 

Da  fallt  mein  Blick  auf  seines  Grabstein's  Schrift, 

Und  was  mich  heut'  zu  diesem  Orte  fiihrte, 

Das  ward  im  Augenblick  mir  sonnenklar ; 

Ja  man  vergass  den  Dank,  der  ihm  gebiihrte 

Am  Tag',  an  dem  sein  hundertster  Geburtstag  war, 

Mit  keinem  Worte  hatt'  man  sein  gedacht 

Und  doch  war  seine  gauze  Lebenszeit 

Der  Arbeit  um  das  Menschenwohl  geweiht.  — 

Es  lacht  der  Teufel,  wenn  der  Undank  lacht. 


STRUBBERG'S  GRAVE  IN  GELNHAUSEN 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  61 

Nun  komm'  ich  heute  friih  genug  zu  spat, 

Um  die  Erinnerung  an  ihn  wachzurufen, 

Sein  Leben  war  zu  gross,  als  dass  in  nichts  verweht 

Was  Geist  und  Arbeitskraft  einst  in  ihm  schufen.66 


See  Carl  Heinz  Hill  in  Die  Heimstatt,  Mar.  i,  1907. 


CHAPTER  III. 
STRUBBERG'S  WORKS. 

Strubberg's  predecessor  Sealsfield  has  left  an  enduring  legacy 
to  realism.  Strange  as  it  may  seem,  his  works  were  nevertheless 
inaffective  in  eradicating  that  romantic  attitude  toward  America 
which  existed  among  the  German  people  at  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  The  influence  of  his  works  was  potent  among 
the  student  and  literary  classes  rather  than  among  the  great  mass 
of  the  German  reading  public.  This  is  due  partly  to  the  sketchy, 
disconnected  manner  which  he  only  too  frequently  employs  in  the 
treatment  of  his  material,  partly  also  to  the  strange  "Kauder- 
welsch"  and  peculiar  sentence  structure  which  the  author  con 
sciously  affected  in  order  to  convey  in  German  the  peculiarities  of 
English  speech  in  America,  and  also  to  the  introduction  of  a  great 
mass  of  Spanish,  French,  and  English  words  and  phrases,  all  of 
which  features  helped  to  make  his  works  quite  impossible  for  the 
average  reader.  Nor  were  Sealsfield's  works  published  in  Ger 
many  with  the  hope  that  the  masses  might  become  better  informed 
of  conditions  in  North  America.  In  the  most  popular  of  Seals- 
field's  works,  Das  Cajutenbuch  (1841),  we  even  read  this  rather 
startling  footnote :"....  bloss  Gebildeten  sind  diese  Bucher 
verstandlich,  den  Ungebildeten  oder  Halbgebildeten  werden  sie 
schwerlich  befriedigen,  .  .  ."  In  the  "Vorwort"  to  Sealsfield's 
Der  Virey  und  die  Aristokraten  oder  Mexiko  im  Jahre  1812,  the 
publisher  writes :  "Obwohl  iibrigens  dieses  Buch  fiir  alle  Klassen 
der  biirgerlichen  Gesellschaft  geschrieben  ist,  so  glauben  wir  doch, 
um  Niemandes  Erwartungen  zu  tauschen,  beifugen  zu  miissen, 
dass  nur  der  hoher  Gebildete,  oder  der  mit  dem  weltgeschichtli- 

(62) 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  63 

chen  Gange  dieses  merkwiirdigen  Reiches  bekannt  werden  Wol- 
lende,  wahren  und  hohen  Genuss  schopfen  wird." 

Sealsfield  in  his  works  everywhere  betrays  the  student  and 
reader,  a  trait  which  is  easily  explained  when  we  remember  that 
he  spent  five  years  (1808-1813)  as  a  student  in  the  "Kreuzher- 
renstift"  in  Prague,  and  ten  more  years  in  the  same  institution  as 
a  monk.  He  appears  to  have  had  an  uncommon  acquaintance  with 
English  literature,  and  his  fondness  for  allusion  to  English 
authors  in  the  course  of  his  works  cannot  always  have  been  pleas 
ant  to  his  German  readers,  nor  is  his  display  of  learning  always 
in  good  taste.1  His  love  of  erudite  comparisons  often  leads  to 
rather  strange  effects.2 

Returning  now  to  an  examination  of  the  works  of  Friedrich 
August  Strubberg,  we  find  in  them  to  a  great  degree  just  the 
opposite  characteristics.  Strubberg's  works  are  essentially  for 
the  general  mass  of  readers.  His  language  is  smooth,  and  re 
markable  for  its  lucid  sentences  and  lack  of  Germanized  Latin 
words.  This  is  all  the  more  remarkable  when  we  remember  the 
author's  long  residence  abroad.  Strubberg  seldom  attempts  to 
characterize  by  means  of  peculiarities  of  language.  His  Indians 
express  themselves  usually  in  a  highly  poetic  German.  This  may 
be  a  point  subject  to  criticism,  and  will  therefore  be  referred  to 
in  the  consideration  of  his  individual  works.  Foreign  words  are 
seldom  introduced  and  footnotes  in  explanation  of  textual  peculi 
arities  rarely  appear. 


1  In    George    Howard's,    Esq.,    und   Ralph   Doughby's,   Esq.,   Brautfahrt 
(1834),  Sealsfield  characterizes  American  women,    but    incidentally    criticizes 
Cooper.     In  the   same   work  he  mentions    Ben   Jonson,    Scott,    Bulwer,   the 
witches  of  Macbeth,  and  an  Elegy  by  the  American  poet  Paulding;  also  he 
quotes  from  J.  S.  Knowles  The  Beggar  of  Bethnal  Green.     In  the  Cajiiten- 
buch  he  speaks  of  Irving's  Sleepy  Hollow  and  criticizes  Bulwer. 

2  In  Nathan,  der  Squattor-Regulator  (1837)  we  read  p.  440:    "Unter  ihnen 
ragt  der  alte  Nathan  wie  eine  tausendjahrige  Lebenseiche,  oder  ein  gothischer 
Dom." 

Of  a  Kentuckian  (George  Howard's,  Esq.,  etc.,  p.  250,  in  Ed.  of 
1894),  he  writes:  "Seine  Gesichtsfarbe  ist  ganz  das  Colorit  von  Benjamin 
Wests  Tode  auf  dem  Pferde." 

In  Pflanserleben  und  die  Farbigen,  he  sees  a  group  of  negro  women 
with  their  pickaninnies  and  thinks  the  scene  a  worthy  subject  for  the  Dutch 
painters  Wouvermann  and  Van  der  Velde. 


64  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

Here  it  must  be  observed  that  Strubberg  had  by  no  means 
enjoyed  a  literary  training.  His  literary  career  is  in  many 
respects  a  unique  one.  Although  he  enjoyed  excellent  educational 
facilities  under  the  parental  roof,  they  must  nevertheless  have 
been  only  of  a  general  nature.  He  never  attended  a  German  uni 
versity,  for  he  had  been  destined  for  a  business  career  and  to 
that  end  entered  a  mercantile  house  in  Bremen  at  the  age  of 
sixteen. 

In  1827,  while  Sealsfield  was  working  day  and  night  in  his 
room  at  236  Spruce  Street,  Philadelphia,  as  correspondent  for 
Cotta's  German  Journal,  or  engaged  on  his  first  novel  Tokeah  or 
the  White  Rose,  an  Indian  Tale  (Phila.,  1828),  young  Fritz 
Strubberg  had  taken  up  residence  in  New  York  as  a  business 
man.  During  these  years  of  his  first  stay  in  America  nothing 
could  have  been  farther  removed  from  his  mind  than  the  intention 
of  putting  his  American  experiences  into  literary  form.  If  the 
impressions  which  America  made  on  his  really  susceptible  tem 
perament  sought  a  medium  of  expression  it  was  rather  that  of  the 
pencil  or  brush.3 

While  Sealsfield  was  giving  all  his  time  to  literary  pursuits 
in  the  little  Swiss  town  of  Tagerweilen  (1832-1837)  and  steadily 
acquiring  fame,  Strubberg  was  again  in  Germany  aiding  his 
father  in  the  tobacco  business.  At  the  close  of  the  thirties,  at  a 
time  when  Sealsfield  already  rivalled  Scott  in  letters,  Strubberg 
returned  to  America  to  try  his  fortune  anew.  Long  after  Seals- 
field  had  brought  his  literary  career  to  a  close  (and  let  it  be 
observed  that  Sealsfield  was  Strubberg's  senior  by  only  thirteen 
years)  Strubberg  was  still  living  the  life  of  a  frontiersman.  Far 
removed  from  the  book  markets  of  the  East  he  could  not  even  have 
been  informed  of  Germany's  literary  activities,  had  his  interests 
lain  that  way.  Though  he  had  lived  in  Germany  during  the  upris- 


3  We  recall  here  S.'s  sketch  of  Niagara  Falls  (see  My  Biographical 
Sketch  of  S.).  S.'s  first  work  Amer.  Jagd  u.  Reiseabenteuer  was  illustrated 
by  sketches  from  his  own  pen. 


Friedrich  Arinand  Strubberg  65 

ings  of  the  thirties,  and  though  he  often  expresses  "Young  Ger 
man"  ideas  in  his  works,  we  have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  Strub 
berg  was  personally  deeply  interested  in  those  political  differences 
which  led  the  "Zweiunddreissiger"  to  emigrate  to  America.  When 
the  "Achtundvierziger"  came,  Strubberg  had  already  lived  on  the 
frontier  many  years.  His  reasons  for  coming  to  America  were 
purely  personal  ones. 

Strubberg  occupies  a  unique  position  in  the  history  of  German 
letters.  He  was  led  to  a  literary  career  by  the  merest  accident, 
but  for  the  intervention  of  which  he  might  have  ended  his  days  as 
a  planter  in  Arkansas.  Far  from  being  a  literary  man,  not  even 
widely  read  in  his  own  literature,  much  less  in  a  foreign,  we  see 
him  publishing  his  first  work  in  his  fifty-second  year.  Influenced 
by  no  literary  tendency,  a  member  of  no  literary  school,  he  wrote, 
so  to  speak,  "frei  von  der  Leber."  A  normal  man,  physically 
strong,  and  mentally  alert,  he  possessed  a  good  store  of  that  knowl 
edge  and  wisdom  which  is  acquired  by  one  who  has  been  about  the 
world  and  thrown  on  his  own  resources.  He  sought  to  express 
that  which  he  had  seen,  experienced,  and  heard,  in  a  simple, 
straightforward  manner.  There  are  but  few  literary  allusions  4 
and  little  conformity  to  the  prescribed  forms  of  art.  Having 
lived  a  life  which  again  proves  that  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction, 
it  is  but  natural  that  on  having  the  pen  pressed  in  his  hand  he 
should  draw  on  his  own  varied  experiences. 

An  endeavor  to  appeal  to  the  popular  reader  can  be  noticed 
in  all  of  Strubberg's  novels.  The  -rich  mass  of  ethnographic  ma 
terial  with  which  Strubberg  was  so  intimately  acquainted  by 
virtue  of  his  life  among  the  Indians,  negroes,  and  frontiersmen, 
though  it  must  always  be  considered  the  most  important  element 
in  his  works,  was  in  itself  not  sufficient  to  warrant  interest. 
Strubberg  therefore  made  this  material  readable  by  adding  a 


*  In  the  course  of  his  works  Irving  is  mentioned,  a  knowledge  of  Cooper 
is  intimated;  also  the  Irish  poet  Moore  is  several  times  referred  to,  as  is  also 
Robinson  Crusoe. 


66  Friedrich  Armand  Strubbcrg 

thread  of  romance.  It  must  be  acknowledged  that  Strubberg 
never  quite  learned  how  to  create  anything  like  a  finely  motivated 
plot.  His  novels  are  often  extremely  bizarre  and  do  not  conform 
to  the  stricter  canons  of  novelistic  art.  The  means  which  he 
employed  for  holding  the  attention  of  the  reader  through  four  or 
five  volumes  is  best  illustrated  by  the  following  anecdote,  related 
by  W.  Bennecke :  "Bei  meiner  Bekanntschaf t  mit  Armand  war  es 
natiirlich,  dass  ich  ihm,  den  alten,  gewiegten  Romancier,  meine 
ersten  novellistischen  Versuche  zur  Durchsicht  gab,  aber  er  war 
von  der  einfachen  Erzahlung  in  denselben  wenig  erbaut."  "Mehr 
Ferrer!"  war  seine  standige  Ermahung,  "das  ist  Alles  recht 
schon  und  gut,  aber — mehr  Peffer  !"6 

Strubberg  spared  no  "Peffer"  in  his  endeavors  to  make  his 
story  interesting.  He  loves  to  deal  in  strong  contrasts  and  not 
infrequently  passes  over  into  the  sensational.  Also,  for  the 
reader  of  today  there  is  an  excess  of  sentimentality.  Strubberg 
had  in  reality  but  one  theme :  His  own  life  on  the  extreme  frontier 
of  Texas,  but  he  knew  how  to  play  numberless  variations  upon 
that  theme.  No  matter  in  what  part  of  America  or  in  what 
period  he  opens  a  novel  he  is  almost  certain  to  have  recurrence 
later  to  the  rolling  prairies  of  the  State  which  he  knew  so  well. 
It  is  not  surprising  then  to  find  his  works  to  a  large  degree  auto 
biographic.  Strubberg  himself  appears  in  the  third  person  in  a 
great  number  of  his  works,  and  is  always  an  interesting  and 
attractive  character.  Between  the  ages  of  52  and  72  (1858-1878) 
Strubberg  published  57  volumes  of  novels,  all  of  which  appeared 
under  his  second  baptismal  name,  that  of  Armand.  A  detailed 
account  of  the  contents  of  these  somewhat  loosely  knit  works, 
would  take  us  far  beyond  the  bounds  of  this  monograph.  Only 
a  brief  treatment  of  Strubberg' s  works  follows  here  in  the  order 
of  their  appearance : 


*  See  Aus  Armand's  Leben.  Hessenland.  No.  10.   Kassel,  16.  Mai,  1889. 


Fried-rich  Armand  Strubberg  67 

NOVELS. 

1858. — Amerikanicshe  Jagd-  und  Reiseabentener  aus  meinem 
Leben  in  den  westlichen  Indianergebieten.  Mit  24  vom  Ver- 
fasser  nach  der  Natur  entworfenen  Skizzen.  Von  Armand. 
Cotta,  Stuttgart,  i  Bd. 

In  this  first  work  Strubberg  at  once  transports  the  reader  to 
his  settlement  on  the  Leona,  a  tributary  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Here 
on  the  extreme  western  frontier  of  Texas,  on  territory  of  the 
Comanche  Indians,  at  the  foothills  of  the  Cordilleras,  Strubberg, 
in  company  with  three  other  German  colonists,  had  erected  his 
dwelling  place,  one  side  facing  the  river,  the  other  three  enclosed 
by  palisades  fourteen  feet  in  height.  To  the  North  was  a  dense, 
primitive  forest ;  to  the  South  stretched  the  rolling  prairie ;  to  the 
West  lay  unexplored  Indian  lands;  to  the  East,  the  nearest  set 
tlement  was  eighty  hours  distant  on  horseback. 

The  author  describes  in  great  minuteness  several  years  of 
his  life  here  on  the  frontier  of  Texas,  beyond  which  no  other 
colonist  had  at  that  time  ventured.  Strubberg's  chief  pursuit  was 
the  hunt,  which  frequently  took  him  for  weeks  from  the  settle 
ment.  Mounted  on  his  white  stallion  Czar,  sired  by  one  of  the 
six  white  Berber  horses  presented  to  President  Taylor  by  the 
Sultan  of  Morocco,  and  his  faithful  bloodhound  Trust,  two 
faithful  companions  which  become  familiar  figures  in  others  of 
his  works,  Strubberg  exploited  the  surrounding  country  far  and 
near.  It  is  the  description  of  these  journeys  that  forms  the  chief 
substance  for  this  work.  His  struggles  with  the  Indians  are  most 
vividly  narrated.  Comanches,  Weicos,  Catos,  Lepans,  the  peace 
ful  Delawares,  who  had  been  given  government  lands  along  the 
Kansas,  Mescalieros,  Blackfoots,  Kitscheis,  Apaches,  Kikapus, 
and  Pahnees  cross  our  path  at  various  times.  Strubberg  appears 
to  have  the  closest  acquaintance  with  the  Comanches,  though  by 
description  of  manners  and  customs,  and  the  delineation  of 
features  or  dress,  he  makes  careful  efforts  to  distinguish  between 
the  various  other  tribes.  The  Indian  of  the  West  has  perhaps 
nowhere  in  German  literature  been  treated  in  a  more  strikingly 
objective  manner.  His  Indians,  with  possibly  a  few  exceptions, 


68  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

are  not  the  academic  type,  made  so  popular  through  the  works  of 
Cooper.  Strubberg  knew  much  less  of  the  history  of  the  Ameri 
can  Indian  than  did  Cooper,  but  he  had  a  more  direct  acquaint 
ance  and  did  not  hesitate  to  draw  him  as  he  was.  The  North 
American  Indians  were,  as  he  himself  said,  pronounced  "Lumpe." 
Strubberg  had  already  been  an  eager  huntsman  in  his  earlier 
days  in  Hessen.  His  ardor  for  the  hunt  with  all  that  pertains  to 
it  explains  the  minuteness  with  which  he  relates  his  experiences. 
Overlooking  a  certain  tedium  which  results  from  a  detailed  narra 
tion  of  adventures  somewhat  similar  in  nature,  the  book  is  quite 
unexcelled  in  its  faithful  pictures  of  animal  and  plant  life  in 
Texas  before  the  approach  of  the  white  man.  Though  we  may 
rest  assured  that  the  author  has  invented  many  of  the  incidents 
employed,  and  that  his  marksmanship  was  somewhat  less  phenom 
enal,  the  fact  nevertheless  remains  that  the  work  could  only  have 
been  written  by  one  who  had  had  direct  acquaintance  with  that  of 
which  he  wrote.  Strubberg's  eye  was  always  open  to  nature. 
Nothing  is  overlooked.  The  buffalo  moving  over  the  prairie  in 
herds  of  thousands,  the  various  species  of  bears,  deer,  antelope, 
panther,  jaguar,  Mexican  pig,  wolf,  beaver,  and  condor,  are  all 
carefully  described.  With  the  knowledge  of  one  who  has  lived 
for  years  beyond  the  boundaries  of  civilization,  he  further  de 
scribes  the  preparation  of  the  various  animals  for  food,  and  the 
process  of  tanning  their  hides  for  raiment.  The  rich  plant  life 
of  Texas  equally  engages  his  attention.  With  the  scrupulousness 
of  a  botanist  and  the  eye  of  an  artist  he  acquaints  us  with  the 
magnolia,  pecan,  yucca,  cactus,  aloe,  mosquito  tree,  laurel,  live 
oak,  and  numberless  other  trees,  shrubs  and  herbs.  Strubberg  is 
peculiarly  happy  in  bringing  local  atmosphere  into  his  landscapes. 
The  following  is  a  fair  illustration  of  his  poetic  yet  realistic 
method  (p.  2  f.)  :  "Nach  einem  sehr  heissen  Friihlingstage  hatte 
ich  eines  Abends  diese  Quellen  aufgesucht,  da  es  mir  zu  spat 
geworden,  um  nach  Hause  zu  reiten ;  die  Nacht  war  prachtig,  die 
Magnolien  und  grossbliihenden  Cactusse  senkten  ihren  Vanille- 
duft  herunter  zu  mir  bis  in  das  hohe,  kiihle  Gras,  ein  Feuermeer 
von  Milliarden  von  Leuchtkafern  spriihte  von  Secunde  zu  Se- 
cunde  seine  Blitze  iiber  die  endlosen  Grasflachen  umher,  ein 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  69 

galanter  Spottvogel  (die  amerikanische  Nachtigall)  flotete  seine 
siissen  Melodien  aus  der  Spitze  einer  dunkeln  Magnolie  iiber  mir 
in  die  todtstille  Nacht  hinaus.  Die  ganze  Natur  schien  sich  der 
Schonheit  dieser  Nacht  zu  freuen  und  Tausende  von  Insekten 
aller  Art  taumelten  in  ihren  Orgientanzen  vor  mir  in  mem  kleines 
Lagerfetter.  Es  war  eine  Nacht,  wie  sie  Elfen  zu  ihren  Spielen 
sich  erwahlen,  und  lange  habe  ich  unverwandt  nach  der  uner- 
griindlichen  blatien  Tiefe  vor  mir  geblickt.  Die  Quellen  rollten 
wohl  unaufhorlich  ihre  frischen  Krystallwellen  der  Oberflache  zu, 
aber  die  Loreleys  wollten  nicht  kommen,  sie  haben  sich  nach 
Amerika  noch  nicht  verirrt.  .  .  .  Der  Morgen  war  so  herrlich 
wie  die  Nacht.  Im  Osten  begrenzte  die  flache  Prairie  den  Hori- 
zont  gleich  einem  Meer;  der  dunkle  Himmel  prangte  noch  im 
vollsten  Schmuck  mit  alien  seinen  Juwelen,  wahrend  schon  der 
Saum  seines  Gewandes  in  brennendes  Karmin  getaucht  war;  es 
floh  die  Nacht  schnell  den  Bergen  zu  und  ihr  nach  zog  der  Tag 
in  seinem  schonsten  Festkleide.  Die  Sonne  stieg  gross  iiber  die 
Prairie  auf  und  beleuchtete  ein  Feld,  worauf  eine  Saat  von  Bril- 
lanten  aufgegangen  war,  und  der  schwere  Thau  beugte  die 
Haupter  der  zarten  Pflanzen,  als  hielten  sie  ihr  Morgendankgebet 
fur  die  Erquickung,  welche  ihnen  zu  Theil  geworden.  Auch  ich 
war  vollig  von  dem  Thau  durchnasst  und  musste  meinen  hirsch- 
ledernen  Anzug  zum  Trocknen  an  das  Feuer  hangen;  das  Leder 
war  namlich  iiber  Holzrauch  durchgerauchert,  was  das  Hartwer- 
den  beim  Trocknen  verhiitet." 

It  is  safe  to  assert  that  in  no  other  work  in  German  litera 
ture,  and  perhaps  in  no  other  literature,  has  the  prairie  of  West 
ern  America  been  portrayed  in  all  its  various  moods  with  more 
skill  than  in  this  work.  Strubberg  excells  especially  in  describ 
ing  nature's  grander  and  more  sombre  phenomena:  the  dark 
hurricane  whirling  across  the  rolling  plains,  the  crash  of  thunder, 
the  flash  of  lightning,  and  the  devastating  hail ;  or  the  all-devour 
ing  prairie  fire,  with  the  mad  stampede  of  cattle,  mustangs,  and 
wild  animals  of  the  prairie  fleeing  before  its  scorching  flames.  The 
following  description  of  a  prairie  fire  is  a  characteristic  example 
of  Strubberg's  simple  but  vivid  prose  style  (p.  147  f.)  : 


70  Friedrich  Armand  Strubbcrg 

''Die  Prairien  standen  in  Flammen.  Zwar  sah  ich  noch 
nicht  das  Feuer  selbst,  aber  die  schwarzen  Rauchwolken  drang- 
ten  sich  schon  dicht  iibereinander  fortrollend  am  Horizont  herauf 
und  der  Sturm  trng  sie  bald  vor  mir  iiber  die  letzte  blaue  Stelle 
des  Himmels.  Nur  eine  Rettung  noch  war  moglich ;  es  gait  eine 
Hohe  zu  erreichen,  wo  das  Gras  niedriger  war,  und  ohne  mich  zu 
besinnen,  gab  ich  Czar  die  Sporen  und  Ziigel  und  flog  mit  dem 
Sturmwind  um  die  Wette  iiber  den  Graswald  vor  mir. 

"Ich  sah  mich  um;  auf  der  ganzen  weiten  Flache  hinter  mir 
lag  es  duster  und  dunkel,  wie  einbrechende  Nacht,  und  unter  den 
schwarz  aufsteigenden  Rauchwolken  reckten  die  dunkelrothen, 
nach  unten  hellgliihenden  Flammen  ihre  langen  Zungen  daran 
herauf  und  warfen  ihr  furchtbares  Licht  auf  die  Umrisse  der 
wolkigen  Rauchsaulen.  Die  ganze  Ebene  schien  lebendig  zu  wer- 
den;  so  weit  das  Auge  reichte,  war  sie  iibersaet  mit  fliehenden 
Herden  der  Bewohner  clieser  Wildniss,  deren  schwarze  Gestal- 
ten  mit  einem  Feuerschein  umgeben  waren  und  sich  iiber  die  in 
der  Gluth  zitternde  Flache  fortdriingten.  Es  war  wie  das  Bild 
des  jiingsten  Gerichts,  das  mir  meine  Phantasie  oft  gemalt 
hatte.  .  .  . 

"Nicht  mehr  weit  hatte  ich  zu  der  Hohe  vor  mir;  noch  ein- 
mal  die  Sporen  und  mein  gellender  Jagdruf,  nnd  ich  flog  die 
Hohe  hinauf  und  hobblete  mein  zitterndes,  schnaubendes  Pferd 
auf  der  kahlen,  mit  Kies  und  ganz  diinn  mit  Gras  bedeckten  klei- 
nen  Flache.  Mit  dem  Feuerzeug  in  der  Hand  rannte  ich  zurikk 
nach  dem  hohen  Gras,  ziindete  es  an,  und  im  Augenblick  schlugen 
die  Flammen,  wild  gegen  den  Sturm  ankampfend,  in  die  Hohe 
und  schwangen  sich,  die  schwarzen  clicken  Rauchwolken  gegen 
den  finstern  Himmel  rollend,  um  meinen  Hiigel  herum,  bis  sie 
sich  an  seiner  ostlichen  Seite  vereinten  und  unter  lautem  Knistern 
und  Krachen  sich  wie  eine  Lawine  mit  dem  heulenden  Sturme 
fortwalzten.  Jetzt  erst  blickte  ich  zuriick,  mein  braves,  von  der 
Hobble  wieder  befreites  Pferd  am  Ziigel  haltend,  hinunter  auf 
die  fiirchterlich  belebte  Flache,  und  sah,  wie  die  dunkeln  leben- 
den  Gestalten,  sich  rechts  und  links  in  dem  Thai  unter  dem 
Hiigel  fortdrangten.  Die  ganze  Thierwelt  schien  hier  vereint 
und  die  letzten  Krafte  anzuspannen,  um  dem  Flammentode  zu 


Fnedrich  Annand  Stnibberg  71 

entrinnen.  Zu  beiden  Seiten  unter  mir  donnerte  im  wirren  Ge- 
wiihl  Heerde  hinter  Heerde  voriiber,  Biifrel,  Pferde,  Hirsche  und 
Antilopen  drangten  sich  bunt  durcheinander,  und  zwischen  ihnen 
stiirzten  Baren,  Tiger,  Panther  und  Wolfe,  einer  nach  dem  an- 
dern,  unbekiimmert  vorwarts,  das  Gesicht  von  der  Gluth  abge- 
wandt,  die  der  Sturm  mit  einem  dichten  schwarzen  Aschenregen 
tiber  das  Land  blies.  Dunkle,  schwarze  Nacht  hullte  mich  jetzt 
ein,  nur  ein  matter  rothlicher  Schein  schimmerte  von  den  Flam- 
men  her  durch  das  dichte  Aschengestober,  wahrend  der  Orkan 
seine  hochste  Wuth  entfaltete  und  sein  Gewimmer  mit  dem  dump- 
fen,  die  Erde  erschiitternden  Donner  der  fliehenden  Thiermassen 
unter  mir  verschmolz." 

The  life  of  Strubberg's  three  fellow-colonists,  their  various 
domestic  activities,  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  the  defense 
of  the  palisaded  settlement  against  the  attack  of  Indians,  are 
all  carefully  depicted.  The  arrival  of  an  occasional  bee-hunter, 
trapper,  or  prospective  squatter,  was  an  occurrence  of  great  sig 
nificance  in  the  history  of  this  solitary  settlement.  Strubberg's 
own  adventures,  however,  afford  the  greater  part  of  the  material. 

Much  of  the  second  half  of  the  work  describes  a  journey  to 
the  Rocky  Mountains  which  Strubberg  made  in  company  with 
Konigstein,  one  of  the  three  German  colonists,  and  several  other 
young  men  who  had  lately  settled  on  the  frontier.  On  this 
journey,  which  continued  for  several  months,  they  visited  the 
Red  River,  the  Sacramento  Mountains,  the  Canadian  River,  the 
Arkansas,  the  Hot  Springs,  the  Rio  Grande,  Rio  Colorado,  and 
North  Platte.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Black  Hills  the  party  met 
the  exploring  expedition  of  a  certain  Lord  S.  The  author  gives 
the  reader  a  picture  of  the  motley  components  of  such  early 
expeditions  to  the  West  before  the  great  transcontinental  mi 
grations  to  the  gold  fields  of  California  began. 

In  a  manner  most  interesting  to  the  American  of  today  the 
author  also  shows  the  gradual  appearance  of  other  frontiersmen 
in  the  domain  where  he  had  been  sovereign  for  a  number  of 
years.  Encroaching  civilization  was  disturbing  the  happy,  idyllic 
life  which  he  had  so  long  enjoyed  here  in  the  solitude  of  nature. 
"Mein  Leben,"  he  writes  (p.  229),  "nahm  iiberhaupt  von  jetzt 


72  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

an  eine  andere  Richtung.  .  .  .  Somit  war  das  sorglose,  gliick- 
liche  Leben,  welches  mich  hier,  fern  den  Menschen,  jahrelang 
tingestort  umgeben  hatte,  zu  Encle,  und  der  Geldgott  mit  seinen 
tausenderlei  Leiden,  Gehassigkeiten  und  Sorgen  fing  an  seine 
despotische  Herrschaft  auch  hier  zu  grtinden.  .  .  .  Die  Ruhe 
war  verschwunden  und  hatte  der  rastlosen  Thatigkeit  der  Civili 
sation  Platz  gemacht." 

Strubberg's  novel,  if  we  may  give  a  work  which  has  not  even 
a  thread  of  a  story  to  connect  one  part  with  another,  such  a  name 
is  an  Ich-Roman.  In  fact  the  work  harks  back  to  Robinson 
Crusoe  and  the  novel  of  adventure.  In  true  epic  fashion  the 
hero,  here  the  author  himself,  recounts  his  adventures.  In  this 
work  there  is  no  atempt  to  appeal  to  the  reader  by  means  of  a 
story.  There  is  nothing  to  relieve  the  tedium  of  460  octavo  pages 
but  the  author's  animating  style  and  his  ability  to  give  ex 
periences  often  somewhat  similar  in  character,  fresh  interest  by 
minute  descriptions  of  plants,  animals  and  natural  beauties. 

The  book,  by  virtue  of  its  matter,  must  appeal  more  to  male 
readers.  The  author  would  have  us  believe  that  these  adventures 
were  originally  written  for  his  sister  Emilie,  while  he  was  still  in 
America.6  It  is  more  probable,  however,  that  Strubberg,  as 
Bennecke  relates,7  was  encouraged  to  write  his  adventures  at  the 
suggestion  of  the  male  friends  who  gathered  and  heard  his 
yarns  in  Hotel  Schombardt,  on  the  Wilhelmshohe.  The  written 
sketches  made  a  very  favorable  impression  upon  his  friends.  He 
was  urged  to  seek  a  publisher,  and  found  one  in  Cotta  8  of 
Stuttgart. 

The  work  is  illustrated  with  twenty-four  sketches  by  the 
author  himself.9  Though  showing  no  remarkable  talent,  they  are 
further  proof  of  the  author's  conscientious  endeavors  to  give  to 


6  Cf.  "Vorwort"  to  Amer.  Jagd-  u.  Reiseabenteuer. 

1  Cf.  Aus  Armand 's  Leben.   Hessenland.   No.  9.   Kassel,  2.  Mai, 

8  The  Cotta  Pub.  House  had  identified  itself  with  the  publication  of 
"Young  German"  literature,  and  especially  with  works  relating  to  America. 
Cotta  had  also  published  Sealsfield's  first  work. 

8  Strubberg  in  the  "Vorwort"  writes  that  most  of  these  sketches  were 
made  upon  the  spot.  That  he  engaged  in  sketching  while  living  on  the  frontier 
is  further  shown  in  a  passage  on  page  6  of  the  above  work. 


Fried-rich  Armand  Strubberg  73 

the  reader  a  faithful  picture  of  Texan  landscape,  and  of  plant  and 
animal  life  as  he  beheld  it. 

The  value  of  the  work  for  us  of  today  lies  in  just  this  faith 
ful  portrayal  of  animal  and  plant  life,  and  in  the  wealth  of  ethno 
graphic  material  it  contains  concerning  the  aborigines  at  a  time  in 
American  history  when  the  culture  of  the  white  man  had  not  yet 
overtaken  them. 

The  second  edition  of  the  work  appeared  in  1876;  the 
third  in  1892;  the  fourth  in  1901. 

1858. — Bis  in  die  Wildniss.     Von  Armand.     E.  Tremendt. 
Breslau.    4  Bde. 

This  is  Strubberg's  first  pretentious  literary  venture.  Its 
lack  of  form  as  a  novel  may  be  due  to  the  fact  that  the  author's 
interest  lay  more  in  the  tracing  out  of  his  own  life  than  in  the 
romance  itself.  This  work  is  one  of  the  richest  for  autobio 
graphical  material.  How  much  of  it  is  "Truth"  and  how  much 
"Fiction,"  it  would  be  difficult  to  determine  with  definiteness. 
Strubberg  had  evidently  early  conceived  the  plan  of  embodying 
the  various  periods  of  his  life  in  America  in  literary  form.  It  is 
to  be  noted,  too,  that  it  is  in  his  first  works  in  which  he  himself 
plays  the  most  prominent  part. 

The  time  of  action  of  this  work  antedates  that  of  his  first 
work  Amer.  Jagd-  und  Reiseabenteuer.  It  covers  the  period  be 
tween  the  author's  departure  from  Europe  and  the  beginning  of 
his  life  on  the  banks  of  the  Leona.  The  novel  opens  in  Rotter 
dam.  Armand  sails  for  America  on  the  sailing  vessel  "Medina." 
The  visit  described  is  his  second  to  America,  made  in  the  latter 
years  of  the  thirties.  His  first  visit,  made  about  ten  years  earlier, 
is  also  referred  to.  Madame  Brillot,  a  Creole  lady  and  her  seven 
daughters  are  fellow-passengers  on  the  "Medina"  to  New  Or 
leans.  Strubberg,  like  Cooper,  shows  himself  at  home  at  sea  and 
introduces  some  striking  effects.  In  the  first  volume  Strubberg 
first  manifests  his  interest  in  the  slavery  of  the  South.  Slavery 
afterwards  is  given  prominent  consideration  in  a  number  of  his 
works. 

Armand,  while  on  the  "Medina,"  falls  in  love  with  Eugenie, 
the  eldest  of  Madame  Brillot's  daughters.  On  arriving  in  New 


74  Friedrich  Armand  Stnibbcrg 

Orleans  he  accompanies  the  Brillots  to  their  summer  home  on 
Lake  Ponchartrain,  where  he  and  Eugenie  become  betrothed. 
Marriage  with  Eugenie  is  prevented  through  the  intervention  of 
a  Methodist  clergyman. 

We  now  follow  Armand  from  Lake  Ponchartrain  to  Mo 
bile,  and  thence  by  way  of  Alabama  and  Georgia  to  Charleston, 
S.  C.  After  a  short  time  he  goes  to  Wilmington,  N.  C,  and  thence 
by  rail  to  Richmond  whence  he  takes  a  steamer  to  Baltimore, 
"die  Stadt  der  Monumente."  From  there  he  journeys  by  rail  to 
New  York,  where  he  has  letters  of  credit  to  several  business 
houses.  Armand  takes  up  residence  in  New  York  as  a  shipping 
merchant.  We  are  now  made  acquainted  with  the  New  York  of 
the  thirties  through  the  medium  of  a  German.  Here  is  intro 
duced  the  love  episode  with  Mary  Mercer  and  the  fatal  duel  with 
her  cousin  John  Mercer,  upon  which  Armand  leaves  New  York 
as  a  fugitive  from  the  law.  He  journeys  to  Cincinnati  as  Mr. 
Frederick,  thence  to  Louisville,  becomes  a  student  of 
medicine  in  the  medical  school  there,  and  after  two  years 
receives  his  doctor's  diploma.  He  now  prepares  himself 
for  his  journey  to  the  West  in  search  of  a  suitable  place  to 
settle.  Starting  from  Memphis  on  his  lately  purchased  white 
stallion  Czar,  and  accompanied  by  his  bloodhound  Trust, 
he  crosses  the  river  into  Arkansas,  continues  by  way  of  Little 
Rock  and  Ultima  Thule,  a  border  town  of  Arkansas,  across 
Choctaw  Indian  lands  to  Dallas,  Texas,  and  on  to  the  San  Saba 
Mountains.10  After  following  the  Rio  Grande  for  some  time  he 
comes  to  its  tributary,  the  Leona,  on  which  he  chooses  a  suitable 
stretch  of  land  for  settlement.  He  returns  by  way  of  San  An 
tonio,  Austin  and  Nagadoches  to  Louisiana.  At  Natchez  he 
takes  the  steamer  to  Memphis.  On  arriving  he  sets  about  at  once 
to  prepare  himself  for  his  proposed  stay  on  the  frontier,  and  to 
that  purpose  interests  three  men,  a  saddler,  a  carpenter  and  an 
agriculturist,  to  accompany  him.  The  work  closes  with  the 
erection  of  the  palisaded  fortress  on  the  Leona. 


"Reference  to  an  atlas  will  show  how  accurately  Strubberg  endeavors 
to  describe  his  travels. 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  75 

The  above  brief  outline  of  Bis  in  die  Wildniss  is  filled  out 
with  observations  on  the  most  varied  phases  of  American  life: 
City,  country,  political,  social  and  religious  conditions.  The 
ravages  of  yellow  fever  in  New  Orleans,  the  sufferings  and  mal 
treatment  of  slaves  on  the  Southern  plantations,  the  religious 
fervor  and  emotionalism  of  Methodism,  the  famous  quadroon 
balls  of  New  Orleans  and  the  sensuous  beauty  of  their  partici 
pants,  society  life  in  New  York,  horse-racing,  a  great  political 
convention  in  Baltimore  in  the  interests  of  the  presidential  candi 
date  Clay — these  form  a  part  of  the  extensive  panorama  of  Amer 
ican  life  here  shown. 

Strubberg's  observations  are  sometimes  exaggerated  and 
betray  an  endeavor  to  appeal  by  sensation.  On  page  140  of 
Vol.  Ill,  Armand  describes  the  cowcatcher  of  the  American  train : 
"Um  das  Uberrennen  von  Vieh  zu  vermeiden,  befand  sich  vor 
der  Lokomotive  eine  grosse,  holzerne,  eisenbeschlagene  Schaufel, 
geraiimig  genug,  urn  mehrere  Stiick  Rindvieh  aufzunehmen  und 
so  breit,  dass  sie  zu  beiden  Seiten  die  Schienen  iiberragte."  On 
the  steamboat  from  Cincinnati  to  Louisville  he  notices  a  favorite 
American  sport,  namely  whittling ( !)  (p.  143,  Vol.  Ill)  :  "Dabei 
unterhielten  sich  Viele  derselben  mit  einem  Gedankenspiel,  wel 
ches  so  originell  als  seltsam  erscheint,  jedoch  seine  Reize  haben 
muss,  da  es  in  ganz  Amerika  sehr  beliebt  ist.  Es  hat  namlich  der 
sich  auf  diese  Weise  Unterhaltende  ein  Stiick  weiches  Holz  in 
der  Hand  und  schneidet  nun  mit  seinem  scharfen  Taschenmesser 
grosse  und  kleine  Spahne  von  demselben  ab,  bis  es  ganzlich  ver- 
braucht  ist,  und  er  in  einem  Haufen  von  Holzschnitzeln  sitzt,  wo- 
rauf  er  sein  Messer  auf  der  Schuhsohle  wetzt  und  sich  wieder 
nach  einem  anderen  Stiick  Holz  umsieht.  Diese  Liebhaberei  geht 
so  weit,  dass,  wenn  kein  solches  zu  bekommen  ist,  man  Stiihle, 
Tische  und  Banke  mit  dem  Messer  angreift,  weshalb  namentlich 
in  den  niedrigren  Wirthshausern  stets  fur  Holz  zu  diesem  Ge- 
brauch  gesorgt  wird." 

For  a  criticism  of  the  work  in  its  totality  we  can  do  no  better 
than  cite  the  remarks  of  Philipp  Hofmeister  in  his  "Vorwort"  to 
the  first  edition : 


76  Fried-rich  Arrnand  Strubberg 

"Fern  von  dem  geschaftigen  Treiben  grosser  Stadte  meine 
Musestunden  stillen  literarischen  Arbeiten  widmend,  1st  es  dop- 
pelt  anziehend,  die  Wunder  entlegener  Lander,  die  Reize  einer 
grossartigen  Natur  und  das  rasche  Wogen  der  Volker  im  Bilde 
an  sich  voriiberziehen  zu  lassen ;  imd  so  gestehe  ich  gern,  dass 
mich  diese  Blatter  in  seltener  Weise  gefesselt  haben.  Unwillkur- 
lich  drangte  sich  mir  das  schone  Wort  von  Goethe  auf :  "Greift 
nur  hinein  in's  voile  Menscheleben  und  wo  man's  packt,  da  ist's 
interessant."  .  .  .  Der  Verfasser  giebt,  was  er  horte,  sah  und 
erlebte,  giebt  es  ohne  die  Zuthat  der  ausschmiickenden  Phantasie 
oder  der  sinnenden  Betrachtung.  Er  greift  hinein  in  den  Schatz 
seiner  reichen  Erfahrung  und  seines  treuen  Gedachtnisses,  Bege- 
benheiten  reihen  sich  an  Begebenheiten,  Charaktere  an  Charak- 
tere,  das  voile  Menschenleben,  wie  es  die  alte  Welt  schon  lange 
nicht  mehr  bietet,  und  dessen  Anschauen  nur  Wenigen  gestattet 
ist,  entrollt  sich  vor  den  erstaunten  Blicken  des  Lesers.  .  .  .  Das 
Meer  mit  seinen  Gefahren,  seiner  erhabenen  Grosse,  der  Urwald 
in  seiner  unentweihten  Schonheit  und  seinen  Schrecken,  das 
Thierreich  und  die  Pflanzenwelt,  wie  sie  unter  tropischer  Sonne 
sich  entwickeln,  der  Farmer  und  der  Stadter,  der  rothe  Wilde  und 
der  kiihne  Frontier,  die  Freiheit  und  das  Sclavenleben,  das  La- 
ster  und  der  Edelmuth,  die  Liebe  und  der  Hass ;  das  sind  die  Ele- 
mente,  aus  denen  der  Verfasser  mit  sicherer  Hand  und  offenem 
Auge  seine  Schilderungen  zusammengewebt.  .  .  .  Es  steht  diese 
Schrift  einzig  in  ihrer  Art  da,  wird  eine  bleibende  Stelle  in  der 
Literatur  behaupten  und  fiir  Deutschland,  wie  fiir  England  und 
Amerika  von  hochstem  Interesse  sein." 

This  work  also  appeared  in  serial  form  in  the  Kolnische 
Zeitung,  in  1858. 

A  second  edition  of  Bis  in  die  Wildniss  appeared  in  1863. 

1859. — An  der  Indianer-Grenze  oder  Treuer  Liebe  Lohn.     Von 
Armand.    C.  Riimpler.  Hannover.    4  Bde. 

This  third  of  Strubberg's  works  is  in  many  respects  his  most 
valuable  contribution  to  literature.  In  no  other  of  his  works  has 
the  cultural  condition  of  American  border  life  been  depicted  so 
graphically ;  in  no  other  has  Strubberg  drawn  such  an  array  of 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  77 

individual  characters.  Sensationalism  has  been  replaced  by  a  gen 
uine  realism.  At  the  same  time  this  work  includes  some  of  Strub- 
berg's  most  poetic  endeavors.  It  is  a  happy  combination  of  the 
romantic  and  the  realistic.  Amer.  Jagd-  und  Reiseabenteuer  de 
votes  itself  to  those  years  when  Strubberg  still  lived  in  his  fort 
on  the  Leona,  far  from  the  haunts  of  men.  Bis  in  die  Wildniss 
depicts  Strubberg's  life  before  he  settled  on  the  frontier.  The 
time  of  An  der  Indianer-Grenze  is  a  few  years  later,  when  Strub 
berg  had,  so  to  speak,  again  been  overtaken  by  civilization.  The 
surrounding  territory  was  gradually  becoming  settled.  The  single 
squatter,  the  rich  planter  with  slaves  and  cattle  from  the  South 
ern  States,  as  well  as  the  criminal  and  outcast  of  society,  became 
his  neighbors.  To  give  an  inclusive  account  of  this  motley  soci 
ety,  its  political,  religious  and  social  activities,  was  the  task  Strub 
berg  set  himself  to  do.  It  is  safe  to  assert  that  the  work  of  no 
American  writer  gives  a  more  complete  account  of  the  cultural 
conditions  of  the  period  and  place  under  consideration. 

At  the  opening  of  the  work  Strubberg,  who  has  assumed  the 
name  of  Farnwald,  already  appears  on  his  white  stallion.  His 
trusty  bloodhound  bears  the  name  of  Joe  in  this  novel.  We  read 

(p.  i):11 

"Es  war  ein  schlanker,  kraftiger,  junger  Mann,  dessen  Aus- 

seres  die  Stellung  in  der  menschlichen  Gesellschaft  verriet,  wel- 
cher  er  jetzt  angehorte.  Er  war  ein  Mann  von  der  aussersten 
Frontiere,  von  der  Grenze  der  Civilisation  Nord-Amerikas,  war 
in  Hirschleder  gekleidet,  trug  ein  Paar  Revolver  in  dem  Giirtel 
um  den  Leib,  ein  langes  Jagdmesser  an  der  Seite  und  eine  Dop- 
pelbiichse  schaukelnd  vor  sich  auf  dem  Sattel.  Der  lange  schwarze 
Bart  und  der  schwarze  Filz,  dessen  breiter  Rand  sein  Gesicht  iiber- 
schattete,  gaben  seiner  Erscheinung  fast  etwas  Finsteres;  im 
Widerspruch  damit  standen  jedoch  die  Liebkosungen,  die  er  sei- 
nem  Pferde  durch  Klopfen  und  Streichen  mit  der  Hand  zukom- 
men  Hess,  und  die  freundlichen  Worte,  die  er  einem  ungewohn- 
lich  grossen  gelben  Hunde,  der  vor  ihm  hinrannte  und  von  Zeit 
zu  Zeit  zu  ihm  zurikkkehrte,  zurief. 


11  The  Weimar  Ed,,  1894,  has  been  used, 


78  Fried-rich  Armand  Strubbcrg 

"Der  Name  dieses  Reiters  war  Farnwald." 

Further  (p.  21  f.)  :  "Farnwald,  ein  geborener  Deutscher, 
hatte  schon  seit  vielen  Jahren  seiner  Heimat  und  seinen  Lieben  in 
derselben  Lebewohl  gesagt  urn  sich  in  Amerika  eine  neue  seinem 
thatenlustigen,  willenskraftigen  Geiste  mehr  zusagende  zu  grun- 
den. 

"Vom  Norden  dieser  neuen  Welt  hatte  ihn  sein  Geschick  un- 
erwartet  von  Jahr  zu  Jahr  weiter  siidwestlich  gefiihrt,  durch  Wi- 
derwartigkeiten,  Ungliicksfalle  imcl  bittere  Lebenserfahrungen 
ihn  mehr  und  mehr  mit  der  civilisierten  Welt  zerfallen  lassen 
und  ihn  zuletzt  hinaus  in  diese  fast  nocli  unbekannte  Wildniss  ge- 
trieben.  .  .  ." 

The  lonely  fort  on  the  Leona  is  again  referred  to.  On  page 
23,  Vol.  I,  Strubberg  mentions  the  visit  of  the  owner  and  editor 
of  one  of  the  most  important  newspapers  in  the  United  States, 
who  visits  Farnwald  in  order  to  be  able  to  inform  his  readers  of 
the  advantages  in  settling  in  those  parts.  In  consequence,  immi 
grants  and  land  speculators  soon  begin  to  arrive.  During  the 
third  year  of  Farnwald's  sojourn  in  the  fort,  the  first  squatter 
appeared  and  erected  his  hut  about  an  hour  distant.  Upon  the 
approach  of  other  settlers  Farnwald  forsook  the  fort  and  built 
himself  a  more  modern  residence  among  his  neighbors.  A  part  of 
the  first  volume  is  devoted  to  Farnwald's  love  for  Owaja,  a  beau 
tiful  Lepan-Indian  maid.  This  delightful  little  episode,  no  in 
tegral  part  of  the  work,  has  been  called  the  most  poetic  thing 
Strubberg  has  ever  written.12  Owaja  is  a  beautiful  child  of  na 
ture,  naive  and  good.  She  is  one  of  Strubberg's  Rousseauian  cre 
ations,  a  descendant  of  the  children  of  Chateaubriand  and  Bernar- 
din  St.  Pierre,  only  more  effective.  Strubberg  was  clever  at 
contrasts.  It  is  his  skilful  handling  of  the  romantic  over  against 
a  background  often  harshly  realistic,  that  makes  this  novel  de 
lightful  reading,  in  spite  of  its  inadequacy  of  form.  With  little 
regard  for  the  sympathy  of  the  reader  Owaja  is  left  to  die  early 
in  the  work,  and  Farnwald's  love  for  Dorolice,  the  daughter  of 
a  wealthy  Spanish  settler,  supplies  most  of  the  romance  for  the 


12  Cf.    Hermann    Ethe :    Der   transatlantisch-exotische   Roman   und   seine 
Hauptvertreter  in  Essays  und  Studien,  p.  92.    Berlin,  1872. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  79 

remainder  of  the  novel.  Around  these  tender  tales  of  love  Strub 
berg  has  woven  the  varicolored  threads  of  frontier  life.  Life 
among  the  Indians,  their  customs  and  habits  both  in  their  villages 
and  on  the  hunt,  their  attacks  on  the  whites,  the  abducting  of 
white  childern,  life  among  the  planters,  both  cultured  and  crass, 
the  conditions  of  slavery,  quarrels  over  land  claims,  the  execution 
of  the  law  in  a  time  when  the  law  lay  largely  in  the  hand  of  the 
individual;  all  is  depicted  in  a  most  vivid  manner.  Nor  are  the 
minor  occurrences  of  frontier  life  omitted :  The  preparation  of 
food  and  raiment,  the  squatter  in  his  fields  or  on  the  hunt,  thril 
ling  court-room  scenes,  the  gambling  table,  a  Methodist  revival 
meeting,  all  find  place.  The  reader  is  spared  nothing.  The 
gauging  and  lynching  scenes  are  realistic  and  thrilling  enough  to 
please  the  most  blase  of  readers.  The  negro  fight  in  Chap.  21  of 
Vol.  II  is  a  splendid  bit  of  narrative,  and  finely  illustrates  the 
author's  graphic,  visualizing  style. 

In  the  later  half  of  the  second  volume  scenes  from  the  Mexi 
can  War  are  introduced.  Commanding  General  Taylor  is  sta 
tioned  at  Corpus  Christi,  awaiting  orders  from  Washington  to 
begin  the  attack  on  the  Mexicans.  In  the  army  are  many  volun 
teers  from  the  Eastern  States.  Farnwald  himself  gathers  a  com 
pany,  and  as  its  Colonel  leads  it  to  the  field  of  action.  We  wit 
ness  the  beginning  of  the  war  on  the  broad  plains  of  Palo  Alto. 
The  Mexican  War,  however,  occupies  a  very  subsidiary  place.  It 
serves  to  bring  together  Farnwald  and  Dorolice,  his  Spanish  love. 
The  work  closes  with  an  intimation  of  their  union,  though  Strub 
berg  in  good  taste  never  permits  himself  as  a  character  to  enter 
into  matrimony. 

Farnwald  is  the  predominating  figure  throughout  the  work. 
Strubberg's  fondness  for  portraying  himself  in  high  lights,  as  a 
character  epically  heroic,  a  paragon  of  bravery  and  nobility  of 
mind,  a  benefactor  of  humanity  in  times  of  peace  and  a  mediator 
in  periods  of  strife,  is  not  always  pleasing  to  the  reader.  To  be 
fair,  he  does  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  petty  weaknesses  to  his  own 
character,  but  his  virtues  are  always  greatly  in  preponderance. 
Throughout  the  work  his  successes  as  a  doctor  of  medicine  are 
brought  out  with  special  emphasis. 


8o  Friedrich  Armand  Strnbberg 

Perhaps  the  most  evident  weakness  of  this  work  is  the 
author's  inability  to  harmoniously  wield  the  great  mass  of  ma 
terial  at  hand.  After  the  fashion  of  the  ancient  epic  writer,  all 
must  be  told  whether  interesting  or  otherwise  at  an  expense  of 
the  progress  of  the  action.  Nevertheless  An  der  Indianer-Grenze 
remains  one  of  Strubberg's  most  valuable  achievements.  It  ap 
peared  in  serial  form  in  the  Kolnische  Zeitimg  in  the  same  year 
with  its  publication  in  book  form.  A  second  edition  was  pub 
lished  in  1894  as  "Erste  Abteilung"  in  Armand"  s  ausgew.  Ro- 
mane. 

1859. — Alte  und  neue  Heimath.    Von  Armand.    Breslau. 
Eduard  Trewendt.     i  Bd. 

As  a  novel  this  is  one  of  the  most  readable  of  Strubberg's 
works.  As  a  cultural  document  it  is  invaluable  for  the  fine  pic 
ture  it  gives  us  of  one  of  the  darkest  periods  in  the  history  of  the 
State  of  Texas :  the  planting  of  German  colonies  in  Texas  by  the 
"Mainzer  Adelsverein,"  through  whose  misdirected  efforts  thou 
sands  of  Germans  suffered  untold  miseries  and  hundreds  died  a 
wretched  death.  In  November,  1844,  the  first  ship  with  immi 
grants  sent  by  the  "Verein"  had  arrived;  soon  thereafter  came 
two  others,  bringing  in  all  about  seven  hundred  people.  Late  in 
1845  four  thousand  three  hundred  and  four  more  arrived.13  The 
immigrants  of  1844  could  not  be  conveyed  at  once  to  the  lands 
proposed.  They  were  obliged  to  camp  on  the  coast,  and  only 
after  some  time  were  transported  to  the  interior,  where  the  town 
of  Neu-Braunfels  was  founded.  Those  of  1845  fared  even 
worse.  Transportation  was  made  practically  impossible  through 
the  fact  that  nearly  all  vehicles  had  been  called  into  service  by  the 
American  Army  for  the  Mexican  War.  They  were  obliged  to 
camp  on  the  coast  in  wretched  shelter,  with  only  the  poorest  food. 
The  winter  was  a  severe  one,  disease  spread,  and  hundreds  died. 

Strubberg  has  taken  for  his  subject  the  hardships  of  the  first 
arrival  of  immigrants,  but  he  has  apparently  drawn  on  the  inci 
dents  connected  with  the  combined  arrivals  of  1844  and  1845. 
The  action  of  the  novel  consequently  takes  place  during  the  latter 

18  Cf.  Festausgabe.    Pp.  39  and  48. 


Fried-rich  Armand  Stnibberg  81 

months  of  1844  and  during  1845.  The  author  was  at  this  time 
in  all  probability  living  in  the  interior  of  Texas,  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Leona.  It  was  only  in  1846  that  he  was  called  to  Friedrichs- 
burg  as  Colonial  Director.  He  was  consequently  not  acquainted 
with  his  material  at  first  hand.  Through  his  connections  with 
the  colony  of  Friedrichsburg  in  the  following  year  he  learned  to 
know  many  of  the  immigrants  themselves,  and  had  beyond  a 
doubt  abundant  opportunity  to  hear  them  relate  their  wanderings 
from  the  coast  to  the  interior  of  Texas. 

The  author  introduces  us  to  the  Werner  family  in  their 
comfortable  little  home  in  South  Germany.  Few  people  had  had 
occasion  to  wander  from  the  prosperous  little  town,  but  the  "Ver- 
ein  zum  Schutze  deutscher  Auswanderer"  (Mainzer  Adelsverein) 
had  issued  such  glowing  reports  of  the  beauties  of  Texas  and  the 
advantages  of  emigrating  thither  that  Herr  Cassirer  Werner  and 
family  decided  to  embark  on  the  emigration  ship  to  sail  for  Amer 
ica  from  Havre  in  October  (evidently  1844).  The  adventures  of 
this  family  form  the  framework  for  this  novel.  In  the  second 
chapter  we  stand  on  the  coast  of  Texas  with  hundreds  of  other 
Germans  and  await  an  incoming  ship.  On  it  is  the  Werner 
family.  The  idealistic  anticipation  of  these  naive  Germans  is 
most  pathetic :  "Nun,  Kinder,  ist  alles  Schwierige  tiberwunden, 
bald  werden  wir  auf  unserer  Plantage  sein,"  sagte  Herr  Werner, 
als  der  Steg  das  Werft  erreicht  hatte  und  Alles  dariiber  hinunter 
rannte.  "Kommt  mit  mir  und  lasst  tins  die  amerikanische  Erde 
betreten"  (p.  29).  The  immigrants  for  want  of  means  of  trans 
portation  are  obliged  to  remain  in  Galveston,  some  in  hotels,  the 
poorer  in  wooden  shacks  without  the  city.  It  was  a  motley 
crowd.  "Sie  stellten,"  writes  Strubberg  (p.  21),  "eine  wahre 
Musterkarte  aus  alien  moglichen  Standen  und  Klassen  der 
menschlichen  Gesellschaft  dar.  Hier  sah  man  den  unbehilflichen, 
ungelenken,  langhaarigen  Bauer  nebst  Familie  mit  offenem  Maul 
vor  den  Schaufenstern  der  Laden  stehen;  da  den  jungen  Stutzer 
mit  dem  Kneifer  vor  dem  Auge,  mit  Glaceehandschuhen  und  ho- 
hen  bespornten  Absatzen  nach  dem  Trinkhause  wandern;  .  .  . 
den  Kramer,  den  Soldaten,  den  Handwerker,  den  Schauspieler, 
den  Pachter,  den  Burger,  den  Edelmann,  den  Graf  en ;  Alle  konnte 


82  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

man  hier  wandeln  sehen  nnd  leicht  aus  ihrer  Erscheinung  den 
Stand  errathen,  dem  sie  in  ihrer  deutschen  Heimath  angehort 
batten. 

"Mitnnter  jedoch  war  der  Anzug,  namentlich  junger  Manner, 
in  dieser  Beziehung  triigerisch,  indem  dieselben  bei  der  Wahl 
ihrer  Tracht  entweder  ihrem  eigenen,  bei  ihrer  Abreise  von  Eu- 
ropa  an  Nichts  mehr  gebundenen  Geschmack  gefolgt  waren,  oder 
irgend  ein  Ideal,  welches  ihre  Phantasie  begeisterte,  zum  Muster 
gewahlt  und  sich  darnach  kostumirt  hatten.  Man  erblickte  pur- 
purfarbene  und  rothe,  mit  Schnuren  reich  besetzte  sammetne 
Paletots,  spanische  tJberwiirfe  mit  aufgeschlitzten  weiten  Armeln, 
italienische  Anziige  nach  Rinaldo  Rinaldini  und  Masaniello,  Le- 
deranziige  nach  Natti  aus  Cooper's  Letztem  der  Mohikaner, 
Strumpfmiitzen,  mittelalterliche  Reiterhute  mit  aufgekrampten 
breiten  Randern  und  mit  Federn,  spitze  graue  Filzkappen,  wie  sie 
die  Narren  auf  deutschen  Maskeraden  zu  tragen  pflegen,  und 
Stiefel-Fagons  aus  alien  Jahrhunderten,  in  denen  solche  getragen 
wurden.  In  einer  Hinsicht  aber  stimmten  diese  Leute  sammtlich 
iiberein;  sie  waren  Alle  bis  an  die  Zahne  bewaffnet  und  trugen 
Pistolen,  Jagdmesser,  so  wie  Dolche  im  Giirtel,  was  ihnen,  im 
Verein  mit  ihren  abnormen  Barten,  ein  desperates,  martialisches 
Ansehen  gab." 

Daily  more  immigrants  arrived.  Food  and  drink  was  sold  at 
exorbitant  prices.  By  means  of  a  little  sailing  vessel  the  Werners 
are  taken  from  Galveston  to  Indian  Point,  where  other  Germans 
had  also  pitched  their  camp.  From  here  the  Werners  had  hoped 
to  be  conveyed  to  the  colony's  lands,  but  the  same  difficulties  pre 
vailed,  and  they  remained  here.  The  extreme  heat  and  want  of 
proper  food  soon  brought  on  disease,  and  many  fell  victims, 
among  them  one  of  Werner's  daughters.  The  immigrants  are 
driven  to  despair.  Many  of  them,  taking  with  them  only  the 
barest  necessities,  started  out  to  reach  Neu-Braunfels  on  foot, 
two  hundred  miles  distant ;  only  a  few  ever  reached  their  destina 
tion,  the  remaining  ones  fell  by  the  wayside.14  Werners  deter- 


"Cf.  An  historical  account  of  these  hardships:  Franz  Loeher's  Gesch. 
«.  Zustande  der  Deutschen  in  Amerika.  Cincinnati  und  Leipzig,  1847.  P.  351  f. 
Also  Olmsteed's  Wanderungen  durch  Texas,  etc,  Lpz.  1857.  P.  120  f. 


Fried-rich  Armand  Strubberg  83 

mined  to  get  conveyance  at  any  cost.  Their  son  Albert  had  been 
sent  to  Neu-Braunfels  in  the  hopes  of  having  a  vehicle  sent  from 
thence.  A  few  native  whites  hearing  of  the  distress  of  the  Ger 
mans,  came  to  camp  with  their  vehicles  and  extorted  exorbitant 
prices  for  transportation.  The  Werners  finally  submit  themselves 
to  a  heartless  teamster,  who  extracts  an  enormous  sum  from 
them.  Their  drive  over  the  sandy  waste  under  a  glaring  sun, 
is  strikingly  pictured.  The  teamster  turns  off  from  the  road  to 
Neu-Braunfels,  forsakes  them  there,  returns  and  extorts  more 
money  from  them.  The  Werners  contract  the  fever  on  this  pro 
tracted  journey  and  only  the  eldest  daughter,  Matilda,  survives. 
The  teamster  and  his  brother  seize  all  the  Werner  possessions. 

The  wanderings  of  Albert  Werner,  the  son,  are  now  taken 
up  from  the  time  he  left  Indian  Point  for  Neu-Braunfels.  Albert 
remains  in  Neu-Braunfels  for  some  time ;  the  author  incidentally 
introduces  the  life  and  activities  of  that  German  settlement. 
Albert,  on  returning  to  Indian  Point  finds  the  graves  of  his 
parents.  Not  knowing  of  his  surviving  sister  Matilda,  he  joins 
General  Taylor's  forces  at  Point  Isabel. 

The  Mexican  War  occupies  a  prominent  place  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  work.  We  follow  Albert  as  one  of  the  Texas  rangers 
(a  body  of  ununi formed,  undisciplined  men,  says  the  author, 
whose  only  Commando  lay  in  the  words  "at  them !")  to  Palo  Alto ; 
as  under  officer  he  goes  on  to  Resaca  de  la  Palma;  the  Mexicans 
are  routed ;  Albert  becomes  second  lieutenant ;  he  camps  with  the 
Americans  at  Matamoras;  he  becomes  first  lieutenant;  they 
march  to  Monterey ;  Forts  Federacion,  Teneria  and  Obispada  are 
taken;  Monterey  is  stormed,  and  finally  capitulates,  a  truce  fol 
lows,  during  which  Werner  is  seriously  wounded  by  a  tiger  and 
is  cared  for  in  the  house  of  Dona  Rosa  Marcia  Garcia.  A  beauti 
ful  romance  develops  between  Albert  and  Dona  Rosa,  which 
results  in  a  happy  union.  Mathilda  had  been  received  into  the 
home  of  the  planter  Harmuth;  she  finds  a  German  bridegroom 
and  is  in  the  end  restored  to  her  brother.  The  novel  ends  with 
a  brilliant  wedding  scene.  Strubberg's  manner  of  treating  his 
torical  matter  is  well  illustrated  by  his  introduction  of  the  Mexi 
can  War.  Conspicuous  figures  such  as  Generals  Taylor  and 


84  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

Worth  are  mentioned,  but  seldom  permitted  to  take  an  active 
part.  A  Captain  Falkland  takes  part  in  the  dialog  and  remarks 
that  he  is  a  German.  Definite  historical  references  in  connection 
with  Strubberg's  introduction  of  the  settlement  of  Neu-Braunfels 
is  more  or  less  avoided. 

Mention  is  made  of  Graf  H.,  Lieutenant  v.  C,  Graf  S.,  and 
Graf  H.  v.  d.15  The  "Sophienburg,"  built  by  Prinz  Solms  and 
named  after  his  lady-love  Sophia,  Princess  of  Salm-Salm,  is  also 
referred  to.16 

This  work  went  through  but  one  edition. 

1859. — Scenen  aus  den  Kdmpfen  der  Mexicaner  und  Nordameri- 
kaner.    Von  Armand.    Breslau.     Eduard  Trewendt.     i  Bd. 

This  is  Strubberg's  first  attempt  at  a  shorter  form  of  the 
novel.  It  is  perhaps  unfortunate  that  Strubberg  did  not  resort  to 
a  briefer  form  more  frequently,  though  it  must  be  admitted  that 
material,  so  varied  in  nature,  was  ill  adapted  for  expression  in  a 
brief  concise  form. 

This  work  appeared  in  the  same  year  with  An  der  Indianer- 
Grenze.  It  consists  of  two  novelettes :  Die  Amerikaner  in  Mexico 
and  Der  Sturm  von  San  Antonio.  In  the  introduction  to  these 
two  "Scenen"  the  author  has  given  a  historical  account  of  the 
differences  that  led  to  the  war  between  Mexico  and  the  United 
States. 

The  first  novelette,  Die  Amerikaner  in  Mexico,  occupies  115 
pages.  It  is  the  first  of  Strubberg's  works  to  have  a  Spanish 
milieu.  It  is  in  reality  a  series  of  scenes.  A  slender  romance  is 
introduced  toward  the  end  of  the  work,  but  it  is  almost  obscured 
by  the  wealth  of  military  and  cultural  details  introduced.  It 
opens  with  cannon  thundering  forth  from  Forts  Santiago,  San 
Jose,  San  Fernando  and  Santa  Barbara  over  the  city  of  Vera 
Cruz.  In  the  harbor  lay  the  American  fleet  of  war,  also  sending 
forth  volleys  of  thunder.  Under  similar  strains  the  Mexican  in- 


15  The  first  two  abbreviations  probably  refer  to  Graf  Edmond  von  Hatz- 
feld  and  Graf  Karl  von  Castell ;  the  last  two  the  writer  has  not  located.  Cf. 
List  of  members  of  the  "Mainzer  Adelsverein"  in  Festaufgabe,  p.  41  f. 

"  Cf.  Festausgabe,  pp.  40  and  44. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  85 

habitants  of  Vera  Cruz  had,  in  struggling  for  their  independence 
six  months  before,  lost  their  liberty,  and  the  Americans  had  taken 
possession  of  the  town.  Now  the  fall  of  the  City  of  Mexico  itself 
is  announced.  Colonel  Harris,  Captain  Falkland  and  Lieutenant 
Moorland,  three  officers  who  had  marched  triumphantly  with  the 
American  General  Scott  into  Mexico,  had  brought  this  message 
to  Vera  Cruz  at  break  of  day.  The  joy  of  the  people  knew  no 
end.  The  stars  and  stripes  waved  over  the  black  fortress. 

The  American  Army  is  described  thus  (p.  8)  :  "Ziigellose 
Banden  von  Volontairs,  die  erst  kurzlich  mit  TransportschifTen 
von  den  Vereinigten  Staaten  hierher  befordert  waren,  schwarm- 
ten  betrunken,  mit  Revolvern  und  langen  Jagdmessern  im  Giirtel, 
durch  die  Strassen,  zogen  von  einem  Trinkhause  zum  andern  und 
machten  in  ihrer  nachlassigen,  zerlumpten  Kleidung,  ihren  zer- 
rissenen,  iiber  die  Hosen  gezogenen  Stiefeln  und  zerfetzten  breit- 
randigen  Huten  mehr  den  Eindruck  einer  Rauberbande,  als  den 
der  Armee  eines  hochcivilisirten  Staates  wie  Nord-Amerika." 

At  a  banquet  held  by  American  soldiers  a  health  is  drunk  to 
a  brave  Mexican  officer,  the  First  Lieutenant  of  Marines,  Sebas 
tian  Holzinger,  a  German.  (Strubberg  always  appears  well  in 
touch  with  the  activity  of  the  Germans  then  in  North  America. 
The  author  delights  to  introduce  Germans  into  his  works,  and 
usually  portrays  them  in  an  attractive  manner.)  Holzinger  had 
during  the  bombardment  of  Vera  Cruz  heroically  defended  Fort 
Santa  Barbara  against  the  Americans,  and  when  the  flag  pole 
was  broken  by  an  American  ball,  had,  amid  a  torrent  of  bullets, 
held  up  the  flag.  Through  his  bravery  he  had  won  the  esteem  of 
the  Americans  and  been  given  his  freedom  on  condition  that  he 
would  no  longer  serve  in  the  Mexican  Army. 

We  are  led  into  the  country  palace  of  Santa  Anna,  the  Na 
poleon  of  the  South,  as  he  is  called.  A  vivid  picture  of  the 
Spanish  guerillas  is  drawn.  Gambling,  horsethieving  and  love- 
making  between  American  soldiers  and  Spanish  beauties  give 
the  scenes  a  dash  of  color. 

The  second  novelette,  Der  Sturm  von  San  Antonio,  is  better 
proportioned  and  contains  more  unity.  The  author  first  gives  a 
brief  historical  sketch  of  Texas,  "das  Nordamerikanische  Ita- 


86  Fried-rich  Arniand  Strubberg 

lien,"  since  the  days  of  Ferdinand  Cortez  up  to  1825,  when  the 
great  migrations  to  Texas  began.  Strubberg  writes  (p.  121): 
"Die  Bevolkerung  von  Texas  hatte  bisher  kaum  dreitausend  See- 
len  betragen ;  doch  nun  stromten  von  Norden  und  von  Osten  her 
Einwanderer  in  Menge  herein,  und  das  Land  war  in  kurzer  Zeit 
der  Freihafen  ftir  alle  diejenigen,  die  von  dem  Gesetze  der  be- 
nachbarten  Vereinigten  Staaten  fliehen  mussten.  Taugenichtse, 
Schwindler,  Diebe,  Rauber  und  Morder  suchten  hier  eine  sichere 
Zufluchtsstatte,  und  Sklaveneigner,  die  von  ihren  Glaubigern  be- 
drangt  waren,  flohen  mit  Hunderten  von  Negern  nach  diesem 
Asyl." 

The  history  of  Texas  is  then  traced  through  the  uprisings  in 
1835,  and  its  final  declaration  of  independence  from  Mexico  as 
a  republic  in  1836.  It  is  about  this  time  that  the  action  of  the 
novel  takes  place.  Sealsfield,  we  remember,  had  operated  in 
about  the  same  period  in  his  Cajiitenbuch.  Unlike  that  of  most 
of  the  earlier  works  the  milieu  of  this  novelette  lies  beyond  the 
author's  own  personal  experience.  It  is  perhaps  for  this  reason, 
too,  that  we  miss  his  own  familiar  figure  in  the  work.  Strub- 
berg's  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  territory  aids  him  in  strik 
ing  the  proper  atmosphere,  even  if  the  action  takes  place  several 
years  before  his  own  activities  in  that  region.  The  crude  and 
vagabondish  character  of  the  population  in  these  early  days  in 
Texas  is  happily  depicted,  and  in  strong  contrast  to  the  beautiful 
scenic  background.  In  stronger  contrast  still  is  the  pretty  romance 
between  young  Gordon  and  the  Spanish  maid  Beatrice  de  Al 
monte.  Gordon  is  an  idealist  and  stands  up  for  the  Indian  whom 
he  thinks  shamefully  and  unjustly  treated.  .  .  .  "Denke,"  he 
says  (p.  265),  "an  das  unsagliche  Unglikk,  welches  die  Weissen 
unter  diese  Menschen  geschleudert  haben.  Sie  nahmen  ihnen 
nicht  allein  ihr  Eigenthum,  trieben  sie  von  ihrer  Heimath  weiter 
und  weiter  dem  oden  Gestein  der  Anden  zu,  sie  jagten  sie  wie 
die  wilden  Thiere,  sie  erschlugen  ganze  Stamme;  sie  brachten 
ihnen  zerstorende  Krankheiten,  sie  gaben  ihnen  Branntwein  und 
brachen  alle  Vertrage,  alle  Versprechungen,  die  sie  ihnen  gegeben 
hatten."  In  the  latter  half  of  the  work  we  are  taken  farther  to 
the  West  among  the  Comanche  Indians.  Chief  of  the  Comanches 


Friedrich  Arm  and  Strubberg  87 

is  Mopotuska.  His  two  sons  are  Santa  Anna  17  and  Sanacho. 
The  love  of  Sanacho  for  Ora,  the  daughter  of  the  hostile  Chirica- 
gui  tribe  is  for  loftiness  both  of  language  and  conception,  and 
idyllic  beauty  one  of  Strubberg's  most  charming  bits.  The  fol 
lowing  passage  is  almost  Hebraic  in  character  (p.  249)  :  "Die 
Tochter  der  Chiricaguies  ist  tapfer;  sie  hat  bei  Tage  die  bren- 
nende  Wtiste  durchwandert,  Speise  und  Trank  fur  den  Kranken 
Sanacho  geholt  und  Nachts  fur  sein  Leben  gewacht;  sie  hat  die 
Zahne  des  Jaguars  gebrochen  und  seine  Krallen  abgestumpf t ;  sie 
hat  den  Sturm  bekampft  und  den  Comanche  zu  den  Schatten  der 
Magnolien  gefiihrt ;  sie  hat  ihm  sein  Pferd  wiedergegeben  und  ihm 
einen  Zaum  fur  dasselbe  gemacht,  sie  ist  Sanacho's  Weib,  und 
die  Frauen  der  Comanches  werden  ihr  Wigwam  mit  den  schon- 
sten  Hauten  schmikken,  ihre  Haare  mit  Barenol  salben  und  ihr 
Lager  mit  Blumen  bestreuen." 

Strubberg  has  very  plainly  idealized  the  Indian  in  this 
novelette,  perhaps  to  bring  the  injustice  of  the  whites  toward  the 
Indians  into  stronger  contrast.  The  author  is  very  evidently  in 
sympathy  with  the  red  man's  cause.  The  ignoble  actions  of  the 
whites,  their  faithlessness  in  upholding  the  peace  contract  with 
the  Indians,  the  terrible  vengeance  which  the  latter  reek  upon 
them,  to  which  Gordon  and  Beatrice  fall  innocent  victims,  form 
the  machinery  of  the  work. 

Scenen  aus  den  Kdmpfen  der  Mexicaner  und  Nordamerika- 
ner  was  never  republished. 

1860. — Ralph  Norwood.  Von  Armand.    Hannover.   Carl  Riimp- 

ler.    5  Vols. 

The  work  is  dedicated  as  follows :  "Dem  Freiherrn  J.  W. 
Spiegel  zum  Desenberg,  Domherrn  zu  Halberstadt,  Hochwiir- 
den,  Hochwohlgeboren." 

From  the  Preface  we  learn  that  Strubberg  lived  with  the 
above  gentleman  in  the  summer  of  1859,  in  order,  as  he  says, 


"This  Indian  was  named  after  the  Mexican  General.  Strubberg  is  here 
dealing  with  an  historical  Indian  character.  Mopotuska  appears  to  be  a 
perversion  of  Mopechucope  (old  owl).  Cf.  Festausgabe,  p.  98. 


88  Fried  rich  Armand  Strnbberg 

"fur  manche  herbe  Stunde  meines  langjahrigen  ernsten  Wander- 
lebens  Ersatz  zu  finden." 

Perhaps  none  of  Strubberg's  works  contains  a  more  varied 
or  greater  number  of  scenes  from  American  culture  of  the  early 
decades  of  the  nineteenth  century  than  Ralph  Norwood.  Its  ex 
treme  length,  quite  unmotivated,  and  the  multitude  of  crimes  and 
horrors  scattered  over  its  pages,  prevent  it  from  occupying  a  very 
high  place  as  a  literary  work.  The  author  for  once  steps  out  of 
the  bounds  of  his  own  personal  experience.  The  story  begins  a 
few  years  after  the  treaty  between  the  United  States  and  Spain 
(February,  1821),  in  which  the  latter  resigned  her  interests  in 
Florida.  In  1817  General  Jackson  had  entered  Florida  and  cre 
ated  havoc  among  the  Seminole  and  Creek  Indians.  The  scene 
opens  on  the  northern  border  of  Florida.  The  chief  character  is 
Ralph  Norwood,  the  son  of  Tom  Norwood  and  a  Seminole 
woman.  It  is  the  life  and  crimes  of  Ralph  Norwood  which  form 
the  material  for  Strubberg's  novel.  The  history  of  the  struggles 
of  the  Seminoles  in  Florida  and  the  final  removal  of  the  small 
remaining  number  by  the  Government  to  the  Far  West  serves  as 
the  ethnographic  background.  No  attempt  is  made  to  characterize 
the  Indian  by  peculiarities  of  language.  The  following  speech, 
delivered  by  Tallihadjo,  the  chief  of  the  hunted  Seminoles,  is  an 
example  of  the  author's  usual  Indian  speech  (Vol.  I,  p.  168) : 
"Du  bist  der  Leopard,  der  die  Antilope  gegen  die  hungrige 
Schaar  seiner  Brikler  in  Schutz  nimmt,  deine  Freundschaft  ist 
seltener,  als  der  weissgeborene  Bufrel,  und  die  Dankbarkeit  der 
Seminolen  wird  ewig  dauern,  wie  die  Wogen  des  grossen  Was- 
sers,  welche  die  Kiiste  Floridas  bespiilen.  Der  Zorn  des  grossen 
Geistes  liegt  schwer  auf  unserm  Volke,  und  das  starke  Herz  Talli- 
hadjo's  hat  schon  viel  um  dasselbe  gelitten.  Er  wollte  ihm  auch 
sein  Land  opfern  und  es  den  Weissen  iiberlassen,  darum  zog  er 
mit  seinem  Stamme  davon,  ohne  dass  seine  Fahrte  sagte  wohin." 

The  marauding  expeditions  of  the  pirate  vessel  the  "Sturm- 
vogel"  along  the  Atlantic  coast  occupy  a  prominent  part  in  the 
work.  A  German  sailor  is  on  the  pirate  vessel.  The  author  never 
neglects  to  introduce  Germans  into  his  works. 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  89 

In  the  second  volume  Lafayette's  final  visit  to  America  and 
the  great  ovations  given  him  in  various  American  cities  are 
described. 

The  story  now  shifts  to  Florida,  then  again  to  Baltimore  and 
along  the  sea  coast ;  the  reader  is  even  given  an  excursion  up  the 
Hudson  to  Trenton  Falls,  as  well  as  Niagara. 

The  terrible  atrocities  against  the  Indians,  partly  brought  on 
through  Ralph  Norwood,  who  acts  as  a  government  spy,  reflect 
no  credit  on  the  whites.  The  author's  sympathies  point  strongly 
toward  the  Indians.  At  the  end  of  the  fourth  volume,  the  last 
decisive  battle  of  the  Seminole  war  is  fought.  The  few  remain 
ing  Seminoles  are  taken  by  the  government  to  the  western  part  of 
the  State  of  Arkansas.  The  fifth  volume  opens  there  sixteen 
years  later.  The  author  is  again  on  the  territory  he  knows  so 
well.  He  promptly  introduces  himself,  his  white  stallion  and  his 
old  dog,  who  here  bears  the  name  of  Guard.  He  introduces  himself 
as  follows :  "Farland,  ein  Deutscher  von  Geburt,  war  der  erste 
Ansiedler  in  dieser  Gegend  gewesen,  zu  jener  Zeit  als  dieselbe  sich 
noch  weit  und  breit  in  dem  Besitz  der  Indianer  befand.  Er  war 
Arzt,  hatte  aber  seine  wissenschaftlichen  medizinischen  Kennt- 
nisse  seit  seinem  hiesigen  Aufenthalt  nie  anders  benutzt,  als  um 
unentgeltlich  seinen,  sich  taglich  mit  jedem  Jahr  betrachtlicher 
mehrenden  weissen  Nachbarn  und  auch  den  ihm  befreundeten  In- 
dianern  beizustehen,  wenn  sie  seiner  Hiilfe  bedurften.  Er  war 
ein  Mann  im  kraftigsten  Alter,  von  ungewohnlicher  geistiger  und 
korperlicher  Ausdauer,  der  mit  vielen  schweren  Schicksalen  ge- 
kampft,  herbe  Leiden  getragen  und  sich  dennoch  Antheil  an  den 
Freuden  des  Lebens  und  Theilnahme  fur  das  Wohl  und  Wehe 
seiner  Mitmenschen  erhalten  hatte." 

The  last  volume  shows  us  the  Seminoles  in  their  Western 
home.  Though  so  near  the  natural  conclusion  of  the  novel,  a 
violent  affair  of  the  heart  between  Farland  and  Berenice,  daugh 
ter  of  Ralph  Norwood,  now  comes  into  the  foreground.  Berenice 
dies.  The  work  ends  with  Tallihadjo's  terrible  revenge  on  Ralph 
Norwood  for  his  traitorous  deeds  against  the  Indians,  his  own 
mother's  kin,  while  still  in  Florida.  Ralph  Norwood  and  the 
pirate  captain  of  the  "Sturmvogel"  are  both  burned  at  the  stake. 


90  Fricdrich  Armand  St rubber  g 

1862. — Sklaverei  in  Amcrika  odcr  Schwarzcs  Blut.  Von  Armand. 
Hannover.     Carl  Riimpler.     3  Bde. 

Under  this  title  are  included  the  three  following  novels :  Die 
Quadrone,  Die  Mullatin,  and  Die  Negerin.  They  were  written  at 
a  time  when  the  agitations  of  slavery  in  America  had  reached 
their  climax  in  the  Civil  War. 

Strubberg,  though  we  infer  from  his  works  that  he  himself 
owned  slaves,  manifests  an  antipathy  to  slavery  as  an  institution. 
He  frequently  introduces  slaves  into  his  works,  but  usually  por 
trays  them  in  such  a  way  as  to  arouse  the  sympathy  of  the  reader. 
This  is  the  only  one  of  Strubberg's  works,  however,  devoted  en 
tirely  to  the  negro.  It  would  be  going  too  far  to  credit  Sklaverei 
in  Amerika  with  direct  anti-slavery  tendencies.  The  author  aims 
less  at  giving  a  wide  cultural  panorama  of  slavery  in  its  minutest 
details  than  an  interesting  literary  product.  Sklaverei  in  Amerika 
is  in  a  sense  an  epic  trilogy  on  the  black  man.  The  beauty  of  the 
black  man's  life  in  his  natural  surroundings  in  Africa,  his  re 
moval  to  America  and  entrance  into  bondage,  the  loves,  sorrows, 
and  tragedies  of  his  descendants  in  slavery ;  this  is  the  machinery 
with  which  Strubberg  operates. 

The  plots  of  these  three  novels  are  more  carefully  con 
structed,  better  motivated  and  more  finely  proportioned,  being  less 
hampered  by  the  usual  mass  of  episodes.  As  a  cultural  document 
of  the  period  of  slavery  in  America  it  has  less  value ;  as  a  purely 
literary  achievement,  however,  it  takes  the  first  place  among  the 
author's  many  works.  The  work  is  dedicated  to  His  Majesty, 
Wilhelm  I,  King  of  Prussia. 

The  first  novel,  Die  Quadrone,  takes  up  106  pages.  Strub 
berg  was  very  partial  to  the  beautiful  quadroons  of  the  South  and 
excelled  especially  in  the  description  of  those  who  had  enjoyed 
exceptional  advantages.18  The  heroine  is  Leonta,19  the  daughter 
of  the  southern  planter  Crawford,  and  a  mulatto  woman.  The 


18  Cf.  Description  of  quadroon  ball  in  Bis  in  die  Wildniss,  p.  9  f.  4.  Bd. 

"  Note  variations  on  the  name  of  the  river  Leona.  Cf.  Leonide,  the  Indian 
Maid  in  Aus  Armand' s  Frontierleben;  also  Neone,  Farland's  quadroon  slave 
in  Ralph  Norwood. 


Frledrich  Armand  Strubberg  91 

planter,  pressed  for  money,  sells  his  own  beautiful  daughter  into 
slavery.  Descriptions  of  a  southern  slave  market,  methods  of 
buying  and  selling  human  ware,  the  sale  of  Leonta  and  her  con 
sequent  life  form  the  material  for  this  novel. 

A  fuller  account  of  this  work  follows  later  in  the  considera 
tion  of  its  dramatized  form. 

Die  Mulattin,  the  second  novel,  is  somewhat  longer,  occupy 
ing  33 1  pages. 

Rosiana,  like  Leonta,  also  has  a  white  father,  a  clergyman. 
Her  mother  is  a  negress.  In  this  work  at  least,  the  author  shows 
himself  able  to  motivate  a  real  conflict.  Rosiana,  possessed  of 
great  physical  beauty,  and  having  enjoyed  excellent  mental  and 
moral  training  at  the  hands  of  her  reverend  father,  is  in  every 
respect  fitted  to  move  on  the  same  social  plane  as  do  the  fairer 
daughters  of  the  old  city  of  Richmond.  Though  endowed  men 
tally,  and  physically,  with  great  beauty,  Rosiana  is  an  outcast.  It 
is  the  clash  of  white  against  black.  The  author  now  cleverly  in 
troduces  two  Germans,  Franval 20  (who  is  none  other  other  than 
Strubberg  himself),  and  Fehrmann,  thus  providing  a  situation  in 
which  white  foreigners,  totally  unprejudiced  against  the  blacks, 
can  without  injuring  the  Southerner,  sit  in  judgment  on  the  slave 
question.  Lincoln,  a  prominent  young  advocate,  an  anti-aboli 
tionist,  remarks  (Vol.  I,  p.  122)  :  "Audi  kann  man  diesen  Farbi- 
gen  selbst  selten  trauen,  das  Negerblut,  das  in  ihren  Adern  fliesst, 
macht  sie  hinterlistig  und  blutdurstig,  und  wir  Amerikaner  haben 
nicht  ganz  ohne  Grund  ein  solches  unbeugsames  Vorurtheil  gegen 
sie. 

"Du  republikanischer  Sclavereimann — Ihr  Amerikaner  saugt 
die  Verachtung  gegen  die  schwarzen  Menschenracen  mit  der 
Muttermilch  ein.  Komm  mit  zu  meinen  drei  dunkeln  Engeln  und 


20"Franval  war  ein  Deutscher,  der  vor  wenigen  Jahren  in  New  York  ein 
bedeutendes  iiberseeisches  Geschaft  gegriindet  hatte  und  sich  augenblicklich 
hier  befand,  um  zwei  Schiffe  nach  Europa  zu  beladen."  (Vol.  I,  p.  119.) 

Note  the  various  names  Strubberg  assumes  when  he  himself  appears. 
"Armand"  is  most  frequently  employed.  In  "Farnwald"  in  An  der  Indianer- 
Grenze,  "Farland"  in  Ralph  Norwood,  and  "Franval"  in  the  above  novel,  the 
similarity  of  the  vowels  and  consonants  is  very  striking.  This  similarity  was 
no  doubt  resorted  to  in  order  to  make  the  identification  of  the  character  with 
the  author  himself  more  easily  perceptible. 


92  Fricdrich  Armand  Strubberg 

lass  mich  sehen,  ob  Du  gleichgiiltig  gegen  ihre  Reize  bleibst  und 
ob  Du  ihnen  gegeniiber  noch  behaupten  kannst,  dass  sie  den 
Thieren  naher  standen,  als  die  zerbrechlichen  geistlosen  weissen 
Damen,"  sagte  Fehrmann.  .  .  . 

"Schon,  oder  geistreich,  mir  gilt  es  gleich,  aber  mich  kann 
ein  Weib  nicht  reizen,  von  dem  ich  weiss,  dass  ihre  Vorfahren 
Neger  waren.  Der  Gedanke  daran  macht  sie  mir  schon  zuwider," 
entgegnete  Lincoln. 

"Du  bist  ein  unverbesserlicher  Nordamerikaner  und  ich 
wiinsche  weiter  nichts,  als  dass  du  dich  doch  einmal  in  eine  Far- 
bige  verlieben  mochtest,  damit  du  zu  ihren  Fiissen  dein  Unrecht 
bekennen  miisstest,"  .  .  .  sagte  Fehrmann." 

Between  the  first  and  second  half  of  this  work  four  years 
have  elapsed.21  Fehrmann  had  left  Richmond  and  gone  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  was  thrown  from  his  horse  and  died.  Franval 
had  been  overtaken  by  misfortune  and  lost  his  bride.  He  had 
fled  from  the  world  and  sought  solace  on  the  frontier  of  the  West, 
where  he  had  settled  with  several  other  unfortunates.  Lincoln  had 
fallen  a  victim  to  Rosiana's  charms,  staked  his  promising  career, 
forsaken  his  friends,  and  fled  with  Rosiana  to  the  extreme 
West,  where  he  settled  in  a  little  town  near  the  borders  of  Mex 
ico,  several  hundred  miles  south  of  Franval's  settlement.  Here 
Lincoln  lived  happily  with  Rosiana  and  their  children. 

Strubberg  is  now  again  in  his  own  frontier  atmosphere.  He 
stops  to  describe  himself — the  familiar,  weather-beaten  rider  in 
leathern  garments  and  his  white  stallion.  Franval  and  Lincoln 
are  again  brought  together.  Lincoln's  happiness  is  soon  to  be 
interrupted.  Rosiana's  father  had  neglected  to  officially  declare 
the  freedom  of  his  daughter,  and  upon  his  death  his  heirs  claim 
her  as  saleable  property.  Lincoln's  home  is  attacked ;  he  defends 
himself  and  family;  Rosiana  manages  to  escape,  and  Lincoln  is 
imprisoned,  but  escapes  by  bribery  and  joins  his  family.  Fran- 


11  The  time  of  action  of  the  first  half  of  the  novel,  though  not  designated 
by  definite  textual  data,  is  probably  the  latter  thirties,  when  S.  was  shipping 
agent  in  New  York  and  elsewhere,  if  we  may  accept  these  lines  (Vol.  I,  p. 
251)  :  "Franval  hatte  sich  durch  eigne  Thatigkeit  und  Umsicht  in  New  York 
ein  grossartiges  iiberseeisches  Geschaft  gegriindet,  auch  ihm  lachte  in  einer 
reizenden  siissen  Braut  das  Glikk  seiner  Zukunft  entgegen.  .  .  ." 


Fried-rich  Annand  Strubberg  93 

val  conducts  them  to  his  settlement  on  the  Leona.22  The  Lin- 
coins  remain  with  Franval  for  some  time,  but  discovering  they 
are  still  on  slave  territory,  they  migrate  to  Boston,  where  he  and 
his  mulatto  wife  need  suffer  no  social  ignominy. 

Die  Negerin  is  the  longest  of  the  three  novels  comprised  in 
Ski  aver  ei  in  Amerika.  It  occupies  the  last  95  pages  of  the  second 
volume  and  the  entire  third  volume  of  331  pages. 

Though  not  any  of  these  three  novels  published  under  Skla- 
verei  in  Amerika  are  related  to  each  other,  a  more  natural  order 
would  have  been:  i.  Die  Negerin;  2.  Die  Mulattin;  3.  Die  Qua- 
drone. 

In  Die  Negerin  the  author  has  opened  the  scene  of  action 
among  the  negro  tribes  of  Africa,  where  half  of  the  story  is  en 
acted.  In  no  other  work  is  the  author's  imaginative  and  inventive 
ability  more  clearly  shown.  He  is  here  operating  with  material 
totally  foreign  to  him.  This  may  account  to  a  degree  for  the  pre 
ponderance  of  the  romantic  spirit.  The  negro  prince  Buardo,  son 
of  the  King  of  the  Annagus,  and  Semona,  a  negress  of  another 
tribe,  are  two  of  Strubberg's  most  poetic  creations.  Buardo,  while 
with  his  warriors  on  an  elephant  hunt,  meets  the  slave-dealer 
Sarfzan,  who  has  for  years  brought  slaves  from  the  eastern  to 
the  western  part  of  Africa.  His  destination  is  the  coastland  of 
the  King  of  Dahomey,  whom  he  has  long  furnished  with  wives. 
Sarfzan,  on  hearing  that  Buardo  is  prince  of  the  Annagus,  de 
sires  to  sell  him  some  of  his  human  wares.  Buardo,  however, 
had  enjoyed  instruction  in  the  Christian  Mission  in  Cape  Coast, 
and  Sarfzan's  dark  beauties  have  little  effect  on  him,  until  Sem 
ona,  the  gem  of  the  collection,  is  brought  before  him,  "wie  eine 
aus  Ebenholz  geschnittene  Venus,"  writes  Strubberg  with  his 
marvelous  visualizing  power  (Vol.  II,  p.  197  f.),  "stand  sie  vor 
dem  erstarrten  Blicke  Buardo's,  der  mit  einem  Laut  der  tiber- 
raschung  auffuhr  und  seine  Hande  gegen  sie  ausstreckte." 

"Semona  war  so  schwarz,  dass  alle  die  ubrigen  Sclavinnen 
bleich  gegen  sie  erschienen.  Sie  war  eine  hohe,  edle  Gestalt,  ihr 


22  Strubberg  again  describes  the  familiar  palisaded  fort  and  its  interior 
furnishings.  He  mentions  some  valuable  paintings  on  the  wall  (Vol.  II,  p. 
168).  Cf.  Letters  in  the  Appendix. 


94  Fried-rich  Armand  Strnbberg 

Kopf  war  klein,  ihr  Nacken  schlank  und  rund,  und  ihr  voller  Bu- 
sen  wie  aus  schwarzem  Marmor  gehauen.  Um  ihre  breiten  Hiif- 
ten  lag  ein  scharlachrother  seidener  Shawl  gebunden,  nnd  mit  gol- 
denen  Schniiren  waren  die  Sandalen  unter  ihren  kleinen  Fiissen 
um  ihre  zierlichen  Enkel  befestigt.  Ihr  regelmassig  schones  Ge- 
sicht  trug  die  Form  der  edelsten  weissen  Menschenrace  Asiens, 
und  eine  Cirkassierin  wiirde  sie  um  ihr  Profil  beneidet  haben. 
Das  Weiss  ihrer  grossen  tiefdunkeln  Augen  war  rein,  wie  die 
Perle  an  Persiens  Gestaden  und  die  Reihen  ihrer  wunderbar  schon 
geformten  Zahne  glanzten  wie  der  Schnee  auf  den  Gebirgen  In- 
diens:  Ihre  reizend  geschnittenen  iippig  vollen  Lippen  gluhten, 
wie  die  Granatbluthe  in  einer  schwarzen  Marmorschale  und  in 
ihrem  melancholischen  seelenvollen  Antilopenblick  stand  ihr 
Schicksal  geschrieben.  Ihr  glanzend  schwarzes  Haar  rollte  sich 
dicht  an  ihrem  Kopf  in  unzahlige  kleine  zierliche  Lockchen  zu- 
sammen  und  auf  ihrer  zarten  Haut  lag  ein  weicher  Sammet- 
hauch." 

Buardo  loves  Semona  and  buys  her  from  Sarfzan  for  an 
enormous  amount  of  ivory  and  gold  dust.  The  gentle  love  of 
these  two  negroes  is  depicted  with  a  beauty  and  delicacy  that  puts 
to  shame  that  of  their  white  brethren.  Of  course  Strubberg  has 
idealized  beyond  recognition.  He  is  again  embodying  Rous- 
seauian  ideas.  Strubberg  has  spared  no  effort  to  give  his  story 
color  by  the  introduction  of  African  scenery,  and  plants  and  ani 
mals  native  to  Africa.  The  fierce  wars  between  savage  negro 
tribes  are  vividly  described.  At  times,  however,  the  reader  feels 
that  the  author  has  transferred  Indian  customs  to  the  negro. 

The  love  of  Buardo  and  Semona,  the  recapture  of  Semona, 
together  with  Buardo  by  Sarfzan,  their  final  disposal  to  a  slave 
dealer  who  transports  them  to  a  slave-ship  bound  for  America, 
form  the  contents  of  the  first  half  of  the  novel.  The  author  does 
not  omit  giving  his  readers  an  account  of  life  on  the  slave  ship, 
and  the  manner  of  plying  between  the  African  and  American 
coasts  under  difficulties  of  the  law.  The  slave-ship  anchors  in 
one  of  the  little  bays  along  the  coast  of  North  Carolina. 

In  America  Buardo  and  Semona  are  sold  to  the  same 
planter.  They  live  happily  and  are  permitted  to  unite  in  marriage. 


Friedrich  Arm  and  Strubberg  95 

The  conditions  of  slavery  are  portrayed  unreservedly  by  the  au 
thor.  The  good  fortune  of  the  two  slaves  continues  but  for  a 
little  while,  when  conditions  cause  their  owner  to  sell  them  apart. 
Their  unhappy  fate  as  slaves  in  America  is  told  with  a  realism 
strongly  in  contrast  with  their  romantic  life  in  their  tropical 
homes  in  Africa. 

The  author,  in  poetic  justice,  finally  after  many  difficulties 
brings  Buardo  and  Semona  together  on  a  whaling  ship.  While 
on  an  expedition  south  of  Cape  Horn,  they  manage  one  dark 
night  to  lower  one  of  the  small  boats  and  effect  their  escape  to  a 
little  island.  Here  amid  beautiful  surroundings  Buardo  and 
Semona  live  out  the  rest  of  their  days  in  happiness.  Through 
whale  ships  which  occasionally  stopped  at  the  island  they  had  re 
ceived  fowls  and  garden  seeds,  and  wanted  none  of  the  necessi 
ties  of  life. 

"Von  jetzt  an,"  Strubberg  closes,  "besuchten  alle  Wallfisch- 
fahrer  die  Buardo-Insel,  wie  man  sie  nannte,  und  besorgten  sich 
dort  mit  Gemiisen,  mit  Obst,  Federvieh  und  frischem  Fleisch, 
und  noch  auf  den  heutigen  Tag  ist  die  zahlreiche  Familie  Buar- 
do's  und  Semona's  im  alleinigen  Besitze  der  Insel  und  jeder  Kapi- 
tan  sieht  mit  Freuden  und  mit  einem  Trostgefuhl  nach  der  scho- 
nen  kleinen  Welt  hin,  an  deren  Ufer  so  mancher  Seefahrer  Hiilfe 
und  Rettung  gefunden  hat." 

If  Strubberg  had  any  purpose  beyond  the  writing  of  a  fasci 
nating  novel  it  was  rather  that  of  embodying  the  Rousseauian 
nature  theories  than  any  anti-slavery  purpose.  The  virtues  of 
man  in  his  simple  state  are  very  strikingly  set  forth  in  Buardo 
and  Semona.  That  Rousseau's  works  were  in  the  author's  mind 
appears  evident  from  a  passage  in  which  a  prospective  slave- 
buyer,  being  told  of  Semona's  beauty  and  her  present  intense 
mourning  for  the  lost  Buardo,  says  (Vol.  Ill,  p.  229)  :  "Das 
finde  ich  ja  reizend,  es  zeigt  von  Gefiihl ;  bin  wirklich  neugierig, 
eine  schwarze  Heloise  zu  sehen." 

The  dwelling  of  the  two  in  happiness  on  the  little  tropical 
island  also  points  to  Bernardin  St.  Pierre's  Paul  et  Virginie, 
one  of  the  first  literary  pieces  to  reflect  Rousseau. 

Sklaverei  in  Amerika  was  never  republished.  One  of  its 
novels  Die  Mulattin  was,  however,  published  separately  in  1897. 


96  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

1863. — Carl  Scharnhorst.    Abentener  eines  deutschen  Knaben  in 
Amerika.    Von  Armand.    Mit  sechs  Bildern  in  Farbendruck, 
nach  Zeiclmungen  von  August  Hengst.     Hannover.     Carl 
'    Riimpler.     i  Bd. 

In  a  manner  similar  to  that  pursued  in  Alte  und  Neue  Hei- 
math,  Strubberg  again  introduces  us  to  a  German  family,  the 
Turners,  on  their  comfortable  little  farm  in  the  beautiful  valley 
of  the  Werra.  Through  a  cousin,  who  possesses  a  farm  along  the 
Chesapeake  Bay  in  America,  they  are  persuaded  to  migrate  to 
America.  The  family  consists  of  Herr  and  Frau  Turner,  one 
daughter,  two  sons,  and  a  related  orphan,  Carl  Scharnhorst, 
whom  the  Turners  had  received  into  their  family  as  one  of  their 
own.  We  follow  the  Turners  over  the  Atlantic  to  Baltimore.23 
Their  cousin  having  in  the  meanwhile  died,  they  find  themselves 
alone  and  friendless  in  America.  Through  a  bank  which  has  de 
faulted  in  Baltimore  they  lose  much  of  their  money.  In  despair 
they  conclude  to  find  a  home  in  the  Far  West.  On  the  voyage  to 
America  the  Turners  had  become  acquainted  with  one  of  the  crew, 
the  negro  Daniel.  The  Turners,  being  Germans,  did  not  enter 
tain  the  same  prejudice  against  negroes,  and  were  especially  kind 
and  friendly  to  Dan.  The  negro  decides  to  serve  and  accompany 
them  to  the  West.  The  author,  in  bringing  Dan  into  the  German 
family  as  a  servant,  takes  the  opportunity  of  showing  the  Ameri 
can  attitude  against  the  negro  over  against  a  foreigner's  who  en 
tertains  no  such  prejudices. 

We  follow  the  Turner  family  by  train  to  Cincinnati,  and 
thence  by  water  to  Memphis,  where  they  start  overland  with  two 
wagons  drawn  by  horses  and  oxen.  They  reach  the  Indian  terri 
tory  west  of  Arkansas  and  stop  at  Fort  Towsen,  where  a  post  of 
dragoons  was  stationed  in  order  to  protect  the  white  settler 
against  the  Indians.  They  next  reach  the  border  town  of  Frank 
lin,  cross  the  Red  River,  and  camp  on  the  northern  border  of 


23  Strubberg  is  partial  to  Baltimore  and  appears  to  be  especially  acquainted 
there.    He  frequently  mentions  it  in  his  works.    He  lets  many  of  his  German 


characters  land  there. 


Friedrich  Arniand  Strubberg  97 

Texas.  After  journeying  a  week  longer  they  arrive  at  Preston, 
the  last  border  settlement  on  the  Red  River.  On  the  Choctaw 
Creek  they  find  the  "Warwick"  clearing.  They  are  persuaded  to 
settle  five  miles  away  on  Bear  Creek. 

The  lad  Carl  Scharnhorst  develops  wonderful  abilities  as  a 
huntsman,  and  it  is  his  adventures  that  provide  most  of  the  ma 
terial  for  this  book.  Dan,  the  negro,  had  earlier  been  a  slave  of 
the  Indians,  and  through  him  Carl  became  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  Indian  manners  and  customs.  Dan  had  been  called  the 
"Spiirer"  by  the  Indians. 

Strubberg  now  again  introduces  the  whole  machinery  of 
Western  life  into  this  work.  The  author  draws  the  distinction 
between  the  various  Indian  tribes,  describes  in  a  thrilling  man 
ner  their  fights  with  each  other,  and  their  attacks  on  the  whites, 
as  well  as  the  friendly  intercourse  of  the  Delawares  with  the  set 
tlers.  We  learn  to  know  minutely  various  animals  of  the  forest 
and  the  plain.  The  beauties  of  the  prairie  are  not  omitted.  The 
author  again  introduces  one  of  his  splendid  descriptions  of  a 
prairie  fire,  with  the  terrified  animals,  fleeing  before  it.  We  re-read 
as  it  were  the  author's  own  Amer.  Jagd-  und  Reise-Abenteuer, 
only  presented  in  a  shorter  form,  and  with  an  attempt  to  connect 
the  great  number  of  episodes  with  the  threads  of  a  story. 

The  daring  boy,  Carl  Scharnhorst,  is  a  sort  of  youthful 
Leatherstocking.  It  is  the  youth's  thrilling  adventures  and  the 
wealth  of  minute  descriptions  of  life  on  the  frontier  of  Western 
America  that  have  helped  to  make  this  the  most  popular  of  all  of 
Strubberg's  works.  It  was  read  by  old  and  young,  but  it  has 
always  possessed  a  peculiar  charm  for  the  young,  and  even  today 
occupies  a  prominent  place  among  the  juvenile  books  in  German 
literature.24 

This  work  has  passed  through  twelve  editions. 


24  Abel  and  Muller,  the  publishers  of  the  twelfth  edition,  place  it  in  the 
class  of  works  for  boys  of  10-14  years  of  age  along  with  Alexis'  Die  Hosen 
des  Herrn  von  Bredow,  Cooper's  Der  Spion,  W.  Scott's  Ivanhoe,  Quentin  Dur- 
ward,  Der  Talisman,  Kenilworth,  etc.  See  book  list  at  end  of  work  in 
twelfth  edition, 


98  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

1864. — Der  Sprung  vom  Niagarafalle.     Von  Armand.     Hanno- 
nover.    Schmorl  und  von  Seefeld.    4  Bde. 

Of  this  work  the  first  volume  and  a  half  of  the  second  takes 
place  in  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and  is  taken  up  with  a  rather  con 
ventional  romance  between  Edward  Corblair,  son  of  the  forester 
of  Sir  Oskar  Aringthur  in  Ireland  and  Agnes  Walcott,  the  daugh 
ter  of  a  wealthy  manufacturer.  Edward  Corblair's  poverty  and 
position  make  him  an  impossible  suitor  in  the  eyes  of  Mr.  Wal 
cott.  There  is  little  in  this  part  of  the  work  that  is  characteristic 
of  Strubberg  unless  it  is  his  accounts  of  the  hunt  and  the  adven 
tures  on  sea  off  the  coast  of  Ireland.  One  day  a  tale  entitled  Die 
Fallen  jag  er  im  Westen  von  Amerika,  happens  to  reach  the  hands 
of  Edward  Corblair.  It  is  the  account  of  a  young  Englishman 
who,  in  a  similar  position,  had  wandered  to  America  and  accom 
panied  several  beaver  trappers  to  the  Far  West.  The  hunt,  the 
dangers,  the  struggles  with  the  Indians,  and  especially  the  wealth 
which  the  trappers  amassed  from  their  beaver  hides  had  much 
attraction  for  Edward,  and  he  resolves  to  emigrate  to  America  to 
win  a  home  there  for  Agnes  and  himself.  ".  .  .  hatte  Amerika 
nicht  schon  manches  kranke  Herz  aufgenommen  und  geheilt, 
schon  manche  Schmerzensthrane  getrocknet  und  das  Auge  mit 
Freudenthranen  gefiillt — berechtigten  Edward's  Fahigkeiten, 
Kenntnisse  und  Krafte  ihn  nicht  zu  der  Hoffnung,  dort  fur  sich 
und  fur  Agnes  in  kurzer  Zeit  eine  sorgenfreie  Stellung  zu  er- 
kampfen?"  (Vol.  II,  p.  121.) 

Edward  sails  to  America.  The  captain  of  the  vessel  is  a 
German.  Edward  no  sooner  lands  in  New  York  than  the  epithet 
"damned  foreigner"  greets  his  ears.  He  is  also  soon  given  an 
opportunity  to  see  the  hatred  of  the  whites  against  the  blacks. 
"Ich  glaubte  hier  in  New  York  sei  die  Sclaverei  abgeschafft  ?" 
fragte  Edward.  .  .  .  "Das  heisst,  hier  gehort  der  Schwarze  nicht 
wie  im  Siiden  einem  Herrn  als  Eigenthum  an,  hier  ist  er  der  ver- 
achtete  Sclave  Jedermanns.  Im  Siiden  hat  der  Neger  einen 
Schutz,  eine  Sicherstellung  in  seinem  Herrn,  wer  dem  Sclaven  zu 
nahe  kommt,  tritt  auch  dessen  Eigenthiimer  in  den  Weg;  hier 
findet  der  Neger  nirgends  Schutz,  hier  wird  er  von  Jedem  miss- 
handelt,"  entgegenete  der  Capitan.  .  .  .  (Vol.  II,  p.  172.) 


Friedrich  Arm  and  Strubberg  99 

In  the  latter  half  of  the  second  volume  New  York  life,  and 
especially  the  darker  side  of  it,  is  portrayed.  The  author,  as  may 
be  expected,  now  himself  appears  on  the  scene  in  a  subsidiary 
role  under  the  name  of  Armand.  He  is  introduced  as  a  very 
young  man,  who  has  just  returned  from  the  West  Indies.  Strub 
berg  is  probably  thinking  here  of  his  first  trip  to  America,  about 
1827.  Armand  and  Edward  Corblair,  who  has  assumed  the  name 
Sam  Patch,  meet  and  become  friends. 

In  the  third  volume  Strubberg  introduces  the  rather  start 
ling  episode  of  a  buffalo  hunt  in  the  city  of  New  York.  Sturton, 
a  frontiersman,  who  reminds  us  a  little  of  Cooper's  Leather- 
stocking,  has  conceived  the  idea  of  bringing  a  party  of  Sioux  In 
dians  and  a  small  herd  of  buffalo  to  the  East  and  there  presenting 
the  public  with  sham  buffalo  hunts.  The  buffalo  chase  and  its 
disastrous  result  in  the  city  of  New  York  is  described.  Armand 
arranges  to  travel  West  with  Sturton  and  his  Indians  on  their 
return.  Edward  decides  to  join.  From  New  York  the  Indians 
are  taken  to  Washington,  where  they  are  presented  to  the  Presi 
dent,  "der  grosse  Vater."  In  the  same  city  Armand  and  Edward 
join  Sturton  and  his  Sioux  on  their  return  to  the  West.  In  this 
way,  though  first  in  the  third  volume,  we  are  again  led  to  the  ter 
ritory  of  the  Indians.  With  the  introduction  of  Western  scenery 
and  Indians,  material  with  which  the  author  is  best  acquainted, 
the  narrative  at  once  improves  in  quality  and  literary  value. 

Nothing  but  misfortune  awaits  Edward  Corblair  in  the  West. 
On  the  way  thither  the  party  is  attacked  by  a  band  of  Pahnee  In 
dians.  In  the  attack  Edward  is  separated  from  the  others  of  the 
party,  but,  after  a  time  of  solitary  wandering,  he  is  picked  up  by 
a  band  of  lowas.  Through  the  Indian  Utho  he  finally  reaches  a 
village  of  the  Chippewas,  only  a  journey  of  a  few  days  from 
Lake  Erie.  Utho  accompanies  him  to  the  head  of  the  falls  of 
the  Niagara.  It  was  here  that  Utho  executed  grim  revenge  on 
his  faithless  bride  Zateka  and  her  abductor,  the  white  trader  Toro- 
ney.25  The  character  of  the  mighty  Niagara  Falls,  which  have 


25  See  for  the  same  episode  Strubberg's  poem  Die  Rache  in  the  poems 
attached  to  the  first  edition  of  In  Mexico. 


ioo  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

frequently  found  interpreters  in  Germany,  is  throughout  these 
pages  well  portrayed  in  the  author's  virile  style. 

Edward  dejected  in  spirit  takes  lodging  in  the  hotel  by  the 
falls.  A  great  fete  is  about  to  be  held.  Illuminations  are  to  take 
place,  and  a  full-rigged  schooner  to  be  sent  over  the  falls.  Thou 
sands  of  guests  are  expected  to  witness  the  spectacle.  Edward 
had  walked  to  the  foot  of  the  falls,  examined  them  carefully  and 
concluded  it  was  not  an  impossibility  for  a  good  swimmer  to 
venture  a  leap  from  the  head  of  the  falls  into  the  seething  river 
below.  He  had  failed  in  his  endeavors  to  acquire  wealth  by  hunt 
ing  the  beaver.  For  money  he  will  venture  to  leap  from  the  head 
of  the  falls  into  the  river  below.  His  proposal  is  accepted  by  the 
landlord,  who  assures  him  of  at  least  six  thousand  dollars.  The 
event  is  to  take  place  during  the  fete.  The  landlord  at  once  be 
gins  to  advertise  in  true  American  fashion.  It  is  from  this  sensa 
tional  leap  that  the  work  takes  its  name.  Edward,  flushed  with 
success,  allows  himself  to  be  persuaded  to  do  a  similar  feat  over 
the  Trenton  Falls  near  the  city  of  Utica.  In  the  meanwhile  Ag 
nes,  left  an  orphan  by  the  death  of  her  father,  who  committed 
suicide  on  account  of  financial  ruin,  comes  to  America  to  join 
Edward.  Hearing  of  the  intended  leap  she  hastens  to  Trenton 
Falls.  The  crowds  are  already  gathered,  the  moment  has  come, 
Edward  steps  out  upon  the  bridge  prepared  for  him  and  leaps 
just  as  Agnes  calling  his  name  presses  through  the  crowd  to 
detain  him.  Edward  disappears  in  the  foaming  mass  below  and 
is  never  seen  again.  Thus  the  hero  whom  we  have  followed 
through  four  volumes  is  whimsically  disposed  of.  Agnes  marries 
the  faithful  friend  Aringthur,  thus  drawing  this  rambling  work 
to  an  unsatisfactory  conclusion. 

The  episodes  with  which  this  novel  is  decked  out  are  interest 
ing  enough,  though  they  are  now  and  then  somewhat  exaggerated 
and  out  of  taste.  So  for  instance  in  Vol.  Ill,  p.  104,  Strubberg 
describes  a  thrilling  street  scene  in  New  York,  where  creditors 
are  actively  engaged  in  tearing  down  the  building  of  a  bank  which 
has  failed ! 

In  Vol.  IV,  p.  93,  a  camp-meeting  scene,  a  favorite  subject, 
is  again  introduced. 


Friedrich  Annand  Sf rubber g  101 

In  Vol.  IV,  p.  153,  an  Englishman  is  tarred  and  feathered 
for  daring  to  strut  along  the  streets  of  New  York  in  the  much 
hated  English  military  uniform. 

The  author's  unhappy  method  of  carrying  forward  his  "Ne- 
beneinander"  threads  in  the  novel  is  nowhere  better  illustrated 
than  in  Vol.  IV,  p.  113.  Here  in  one  paragraph  we  find  Agnes 
attending  a  Methodist  camp-meeting  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York 
City.  In  the  very  next  paragraph  we  find  ourselves  without  a 
word  of  warning  with  Edward  as  a  beaver  hunter  on  the  frontier. 

Der  Sprung  vom  Niagarafallc  went  through  only  one  edi 
tion. 

Before  its  publication  in  book  form,  it  had  appeared  in  the 
Kolnische  Zeitung  in  1863. 

1865. — IH  Mexico.    Von  Armand.    Leipzig.    Julius  Werner. 

4Bde. 

This  of  all  Strubberg's  works,  with  the  possible  exception  of 
In  Sud-Carolina  is  the  richest  in  purely  historical  material.  The 
author,  we  remember,  had  drawn  upon  the  incidents  of  the  Mexican 
War  in  his  Scenen  aits  den  Kdmpfen  der  Mexicaner  und  Nordame- 
rikaner  and  also  episodically  in  Alte  und  neue  Heimath.  In  Mex 
ico  is,  however,  the  only  pretentious  work  devoted  entirely  to  this 
epoch  of  American  history.  Though  Strubberg  was  a  contem 
porary  of  the  war  and  in  all  probability  served  in  the  same  for  a 
short  period,  he  has  evidently  drawn  to  some  extent  upon  histori 
cal  works  for  his  material.  Ethe  has  called  In  Mexico  a  supple 
ment  to  Sealsfield's  Der  Virey  und  die  Aristokraten,  oder  Mexiko 
im  Jahre  1812  (1834),  and  Suden  und  Nor  den  (1842-1843), 
whose  time  of  action  is  1825. 26  The  time  of  Strubberg's  work  is 
from  ca.  1847  to  1849. 

In  this  novel  the  separation  of  the  plot  and  its  background 
is  particularly  noticeable.  About  half  the  work  is  taken  up 
with  narrative  dealing  with  the  Mexican  War  and  the  Americans 
in  Mexico.  The  figure  of  Santa  Anna  stands  out  prominently. 


28 Cf.   Ethe:   Der  transatlantisch-exotische  Roman,   etc.,   in   Essays  und 
Studien,  p.  47  f.   Berlin,  1872. 


102  Friedrich  Armand  Stmbberg 

His  ambitions,  his  diplomacies,  his  manoeuvres  in  battle  are  all 
related  in  a  most  attractive  way,  yet  all  this  is  very  meagerly  con 
nected  with  the  story  itself.  This  historical  setting,  into  which 
are  introduced  Generals  Scott,  Taylor  and  Worth,  and  many 
other  officers  apparently  fictitious,  serves  but  as  a  background  for 
a  rather  bizarre  romance  in  which  the  leading  characters  are 
chosen  from  among  the  Spanish  aristocracy.  The  historical  back 
ground  gives  the  work  a  dignity  and  value  rather  out  of  har 
mony  with  the  gaudy  story  itself.  Perhaps  the  author's  greatest 
achievement  in  the  work  lies  in  his  gorgeous  descriptions  of 
natural  scenery.  Strubberg's  abilities  are  never  shown  to  better 
advantage  than  in  his  descriptions  in  which  he  catches  up,  with 
the  eye  of  the  artist  and  the  words  of  the  poet,  the  very  odor  and 
atmosphere  of  the  forests,  mountains  and  prairies  of  Western 
America.  The  following  description  will  illustrate  (Vol.  I,  p.  14, 
Ed.  2): 

"Lange  noch  ehe  das  Grauen  des  Morgens  sich  zeigte,  er- 
gltihten  plotzlich  in  rosigem  Schein  zwei  Punkte  am  dunkeln,  mit 
Milliarden  funkelnder  Sterne  tibersaeten  sudlichen  Himmel,  die 
sich  wie  zwei  rasch  wachsende  Gestirne  an  Farbenpracht  zu  iiber- 
bieten  schienen.  Von  einem  blassen  rosa  Hauch,  der  sie  zuerst 
andeutete,  gingen  sie  in  ein  tiefes  Carmin  iiber  und  glanzten  bald 
darauf  wie  gliihend  leuchtende  Rubine.  Es  waren  die  eisgekron- 
ten  Haupter  der  beiden  Vulkane  Itztaccihuatl  und  Popocatepetl, 
die  in  ihrer  schwindelnden  Aetherhohe  jetzt  schon,  wo  noch  die 
Welt  urn  sie  her  in  tiefer  nnsterer  Nacht  lag,  von  dem  nahenden 
Morgen  gekiisst  wurden.  Heller,  schillernder  und  feuriger  wech- 
selten  ihre  Farben  von  Minute  zu  Minute,  bis  sie  bei  dem  Errothen 
des  ostlichen  Himmels  in  die  Schattierungen  des  Goldes  iibergin- 
gen,  und  die  ganzen  Riesengestalten  der  beiden  Berge  aus  der 
fliehenden  Nacht  hervortraten.  Bald  farbten  sich  auch  die  Ge- 
birge  im  Westen  des  noch  von  der  Nacht  verhiillten  Thales  von 
Tenochtillan,  und  ihre  Kuppen  erglanzten  in  dem  ersten  Lichte 
des  Morgens,  wahrend  die  Sterne  am  Himmel  erbleichten  und 
das  Feuerlicht  in  der  Stadt  Mexiko  vor  der  Helligkeit  des  Tages 
verschwand." 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  103 

The  chief  characters  in  the  story  are  the  young  German 
painter  Lothar  von  Colmar,27  and  the  Spanish  Condesa  Urania. 
Their  love  for  each  other  supplies  the  thread  of  romance. 

In  Mexico,  like  so  many  of  Strubberg's  novels,  lacks  unity. 
The  Mexican  War  having  come  to  an  end,  we  follow  the  German 
Von  Colmar  on  his  way  to  California,  whither  the  recent  discov 
ery  of  gold  is  leading  thousands  of  others.  The  author  with  his 
usual  skill  portrays  the  emigrants  wandering  across  the  prairies 
on  their  way  to  California.  In  thrilling  narrative  he  depicts  the 
horrors  of  the  prairie  fire,  the  hardships  of  traveling  long 
stretches  without  water,  and  the  death  of  many  of  the  caravan 
through  blood-thirsty  Indians.  We  are  also  given  a  picture  of 
the  infant  city  of  San  Francisco  during  the  gold  fever. 

At  the  end  of  the  fourth  volume  of  the  first  edition  of  this 
novel  are  found  a  number  of  poems  which  will  be  considered 
separately. 

A  second  edition  of  In  Mexico  appeared  in  an  abridged  form 
in  1898.  The  poems  were  not  added. 

1866. — Saat  und  Ernte.    Roman  von  Armand.    Leipzig.   Ernst 
Julius  Gunther.  5  Bde. 

The  scene  of  action  opens  among  slave  owners  in  Kentucky. 
We  are  introduced  to  the  old  aristocratic  Williams  family;  also 
to  the  Randolphs.  The  latter,  who  possess  less  slaves  and  soil, 
have  come  from  the  State  of  New  York  and  entertain  Northern 
democratic  views  as  to  slavery,  which  causes  the  Williams's  to 
hate  them  intensely.  Williams  has  a  son  named  Harry  and  Ran 
dolph  one  named  Albert. 

It  is  the  purpose  of  the  author  to  follow  the  lives  of  these 
two  young  men  throughout  many  interesting  adventures  and  to 
bring  them  together  at  times,  thus  comparing  Albert's  noble  life 
with  that  of  the  scoundrel  Harry  Williams.  Strubberg  is  fond  of 
contrasting  the  good  and  the  evil  and  letting  the  former  triumph 
over  the  latter.  The  reader,  however,  must  feel  that  this  could 


n  In  spite  of  the  letters  ar,  with  which  the  author  characterized  the  names 
employed  for  his  own  personality  as  Armand,  Farnwald,  Franval,  and  Far- 
land,  the  character  Lothar  von  Colmar  cannot  be  identified  as  Strubberg's. 


IO4  Fricdrich  Armand  Strubberg 

be  accomplished  in  less  than  five  volumes.  The  rambling,  episodic 
character  of  the  work,  so  unduly  prolonged  suggests  that  the 
author's  interests  were  mercenary  rather  than  literary. 

For  some  time  Strubberg  describes  the  illustrious  career  of 
Albert  Randolph  as  a  law  student  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  be 
comes  a  poet  and  is  celebrated  all  over  America  as  the  poet  Al 
bert.  In  this  part  of  the  novel  the  conditions  of  the  German  labor 
ing  class  in  Philadelphia  and  the  great  strike,  which  results  from 
the  fact  that  the  German  laborer  gives  better  service  for  less 
money  is  vividly  reflected. 

Soon  we  are  again  transported  to  the  familiar  soil  of  Texas, 
whither  Albert  had  migrated.  The  author's  invariable  endeavors 
to  bring  his  characters  to  Texas  are  sometimes  rather  strained, 
though  he  usually  attempts  to  give  a  reason.  Of  Texas  he  says 
(Vol.  I,  p.  71 )  :  "Es  gab  ein  Land,  welches  nach  Allem,  was  man 
bis  jetzt  davon  wusste,  zu  solchen  hochfliegenden  Hoffnungen  be- 
rechtigte,  welches  bei  halber  Arbeit  doppelte  Ernten  lieferte,  wel 
ches  nicht  mit  dem  Fluch  verherender  Krankheiten  belastet  war 
und  welches  einen  schuldbeladenen  Fremden  als  schuldfreien 
Burger  in  sich  aufnahm.  Dies  Land  war  Texas.  .  .  ." 

Harry  Williams  deals  in  slaves  and  unlawfully  conducts 
slave  ships  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  where  he  bought  up  negroes, 
and  returned  to  the  coast  of  Brazil,  not  without  much  danger 
from  the  English,  who  had  scouting  vessels  out,  which  often 
gave  successful  chase.  To  avoid  this  danger  the  slave  ship  was 
provided  with  two  captains,  the  second  being  called  the  flying 
captain.  The  real  captain  received  his  rights  of  sailing  to  and 
from  Africa  from  the  Brazilian  marine.  The  flying  captain  re 
ceived  his  papers  from  the  American  consul  in  Brazil,  with  per 
mission  to  sail  to  Africa  and  return  with  cargo  of  palmoil,  gold- 
dust,  and  ivory.  When  the  ship  was  held  up  by  an  English 
scouting  vessel  which  suspected  slaves,  the  flying  captain  stepped 
forward,  showed  his  papers,  and  all  was  well. 

In  the  second  volume  Harry  is  shipwrecked  off  the  coast  of 
Brazil.  The  author,  it  has  been  observed,  is  very  partial  to  ship 
wrecks  and  introduces  them  at  the  least  provocation.  Harry  in 
his  wanderings  arrives  in  Mexico  in  1832.  The  author  now 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  105 

brings  in  a  mass  of  historical  matter,  which  in  point  of  time  pre 
cedes  that  in  In  Mexico.  Harry  enters  Mexico  at  a  time  when  the 
air  resounds  with  Vivas !  for  the  hero  Santa  Anna,  who  had  tri 
umphed  over  the  president,  General  Bustamente,  and  now  him 
self  attempted  to  mount  the  presidential  chair.  In  1833  Santa 
Anna  was  elected  to  the  presidency. 

In  Vol.  IV  we  witness  the  attack  of  General  Houston  upon 
Santa  Anna,  in  which  the  latter  is  taken  prisoner  and  made  to 
obey  orders.  Santa  Anna  is  described  as  a  proud  character,  of 
courteous  exterior,  gallant  toward  the  ladies,  cruel  in  battle,  but 
cowardly  when  captured.  In  the  meanwhile  Texas  declares  itself 
a  republic. 

Harry  Williams  is  accused  of  forgery  and  Strubberg  intro 
duces  one  of  his  thrilling  court-room  scenes.  (The  author  appears 
to  have  had  an  uncommon  knowledge  of  the  law  and  delights  in 
describing  lawsuits. ) 

Once  we  follow  the  noble  life  of  Albert  Randolph,  then 
again  the  low  career  of  Harry  Williams.  The  novel  illustrates 
the  "Nebeneinander"  technique,  though  in  a  rather  diffuse  man 
ner.  One  episode  follows  another,  characters  are  introduced  and 
make  their  exits,  and  new  ones  take  their  place  in  a  most  kaleido 
scopic  fashion.  There  is  no  reason  why  the  work  is  so  long  any 
more  than  why  it  should  stop  at  the  end  of  the  fifth  volume.  A 
commercial  interest  either  on  the  part  of  the  author  or  publisher 
does  not  seem  to  be  quite  absent. 

This  work  appeared  as  Vols.  9-13  in  the  Album.  Bibliothek 
deutscher  Originalroinane.  21.  Jahrgang,  1866. 

1867. — Friedrichsburg,  die  Colonie  des  deutschen  Furstenvereins 
in  Texas.  Von  Armand.  Leipzig.  Friedrich  Fleischer. 
2  Bde. 

Friedrichsburg  is  together  with  Alte  und  Neue  Heimath, 
Strubberg's  most  important  contribution  to  the  cultural  history  of 
the  Germans  in  America.  Strubberg  has  never  received  due 
recognition  for  having  given  to  the  world  the  most  faithful  ac 
count  of  the  German  colonies,  Neu-Braunfels  and  Friedrichs 
burg.  Though  these  accounts  are  in  literary  form,  a  comparison 


io6  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

with  later  histories  will  show  how  conscientiously  the  author  en 
deavored  to  give  accuracy  to  his  work.  In  Friedrichsburg  the 
author  has  devoted  himself  in  particular  to  that  colony  in  whose 
early  history  he  himself  played  no  unimportant  role  as  Colonial- 
director. 

The  novel  is  dedicated  as  follows :  "Seiner  Hoheit  dem  re- 
gierenden  Herzog  von  Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha  Ernst  II.  in  tiefster 
Ehrfurcht  unterthanigst  gewidmet  vom  Verfasser." 

In  the  preface  the  author  states  his  purposes  thus:  "Wenn 
ich  nun  in  diese,  treu  und  wahr  dem  Leben  entnommene  Erzah- 
lung  als  Wiirze  den  Faden  eines  Romanes  eingeflochten  habe,  des- 
sen  einzelne  Momente  jedoch  gleichfalls  auf  wirklichen  Begeben- 
heiten  beruhen,  so  greift  derselbe  in  keiner  Weise  storend,  oder 
entstellend  in  das  Geschichtliche  des  Werkes  ein,  sondern  dient 
vielmehr  dazu,  dem  entworfenen  Bilde  noch  lebendigere  Farbe 
und  hellere  Beleuchtung  zu  verleihen. 

"Wie  manches  Band  der  Verwandschaft,  der  Freundschaft, 
der  Liebe,  wurde  damals  nach  dem  fernen  Wunderlande  ge- 
spannt,  wie  mancher  heisse  Wunsch  zog  mit  den  dahineilenclen 
Freunden  iiber  den  weiten  Ocean  nach  dem  verheissenen  Para- 
diese,  und  wie  mancher  innige  Herzensgruss  wandert  wohl  noch 
immer  aus  der  alten  deutschen  Heimath  durch  den  ungemessenen 
Raum  nach  dem  wonnigen,  sonnigen  ewiggrimen  Texas  hinuber ! 
Und  darum  darf  ich  wohl  hoffen,  class  die  nachstehenden  treuen 
Schilderungen  der  damaligen  Zustande  und  Verhaltnisse  der  deut 
schen  Colonien  in  Texas,  so  wie  des  Landes,  der  Ureinwohner 
desselben  und  deren  Sitten  und  Gebrauchen  auch  jetzt  noch  unter 
meinen  verehrten  Lesern  Interesse  finden  werden.  Der  Verfas 
ser." 

The  scene  of  action  opens  on  a  clear  star-lit  night  in  Texas. 
Rudolph  von  Wildhorst,  the  young  man  around  whom  much  of 
the  romance  in  the  novel  clusters,  is  riding  wildly  along  the  road 
from  the  colony  Neu-Braunfels  toward  the  more  recent  German 
settlement  Friedrichsburg.  He  is  pursued  by  Indians.  Now  he 
rides  down  the  main  street,  San  Sabastrasse  of  Friedrichsburg, 
and  then  down  the  Schubbertstrasse  to  a  lonely  house,  where  he 
is  greeted  at  early  dawn  by  his  love  Ludwina  Nimanski. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  107 

Major  Nimanski  of  Galizia  and  Obrist  v.  Wildhorst,  a  pen 
sioned  Prussian  officer,  the  fathers  of  the  above  young  couple, 
were  attracted  by  the  alluring  advertisements  sent  through  Ger 
many  by  the  "Mainzer  Adelsverein,"  and  emigrated  with  many 
other  Germans  to  Texas,  where  the  German  settlements  Neu- 
Braunfels  and  Friedrichsburg  were  founded. 

Colonialdirektor  Schubbert 28  is  soon  introduced  and  remains 
in  a  sense  the  dominating  character  throughout  the  novel.  It  will 
have  been  apparent  before  now  that  Strubberg  is  an  egoist.  His 
haughty  domineering  spirit  is  evident  throughout  this  work.  In 
that  valuable  little  book,  Fest-Ausgabe  zum  funfzigj'dhrigen  Jubi- 
laum  der  deutschen  Kolonie  Friedrichsburg  (1896),  he  is  char 
acterized  by  the  same  traits.29  A  comparison  of  the  incidents  in 
the  novel  with  those  connected  with  the  early  history  of  the  colony 
as  recounted  in  the  Fest-Ausgabe  so  many  years  later,  will  show 
how  much  of  what  appears  as  fiction  in  the  novel  is  really  based 
on  historic  facts. 

The  inception  of  the  "Mainzer  Adelsverein,"  its  purpose,  its 
endeavors  to  acquire  land  in  Texas,  its  dealings  with  the  land 
sharks  Fischer  and  Miller,  its  activities  in  founding  the  colonies 
Neu-Braunfels  and  Friedrichsburg  are  carefully  outlined,  though 
but  few  historical  characters  are  actually  introduced.  The  suf 
ferings  of  the  emigrants  on  the  coast  of  Texas  before  being 
transported  to  the  interior,  their  life  in  the  settlement,  and  the 
breaking  out  of  disease  among  them,  as  related  by  Strubberg  is 
fairly  well  authenticated  by  historical  works.30 

The  great  peace  treaty  with  the  Comanche  Indians,  intro 
duced  by  Strubberg,  is  probably  a  reflection  of  the  peace  treaty 
entered  upon  on  Freiherr  von  Meusebach's  expedition.31  Von 


28  The  pseudonym  which  Strubberg  had  in  reality  assumed.    The  German 
colonists,  however,   seem  to  have  spelled  the  name  with  only  one  b.     See 
Fest-Ausgabe. 

29  In  the  novel  the  author  draws  himself  in  a  favorable  light.     In  the 
Fest-Ausgabe  he  is  portrayed  as  a  character  not  beyond  reproach. 

80  Cf.  Franz  Loeher :  Gesch.  u.  Zustdnde  der  Deutschen  in  Amerika,  1847; 
p.  348  f . ;  also  Frederick  Law  Olmsted :  Wanderungen  durch  Texas  und  im 
mexicanischen  Grenzlande.  Aus  dem  Englischen,  1857,  p.  120  f.  Strubberg's 
statement  that  8000  emigrants  landed  and  several  thousand  died  is  exag 
gerated. 

w  Cf.  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  86. 


io8  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

Meusebach,  by  far  the  most  important  figure  in  the  history  of 
these  German  settlements,  is  not  mentioned  by  Strubberg.  Strub 
berg  introduces  in  his  novel  Santa  Anna,  an  Indian  chief,  named 
after  the  great  Mexican  General,  and  Mopochocopie.32  Kate- 
umsi,  who  figures  in  the  novel,  is  probably  the  Ketemoczy  of  the 
Fest-Ausgabe.  Proviantmeister  Bickel,  according  to  the  Fest- 
Ausgabe,  a  despicable  character,  is  introduced  as  a  pleasant,  good- 
natured  person.  The  description  of  the  Mormons  in  their  settle 
ment  near  Friedrichsburg  is  also  based  on  fact.33  The  Frie- 
drichsburg  cannon,  which  is  such  a  prominent  object  in  the  novel, 
was  actually  one  of  the  colony's  early  weapons  of  defense.  The 
graphic  description  at  the  beginning  of  the  second  volume  of  the 
Indians  gathered  in  Friedrichsburg  to  receive  the  presents  agreed 
upon  at  the  time  of  the  peace  treaty  is  also  based  on  fact34  In 
Vol.  II,  p.  150,  occurs  the  festival  of  the  laying  of  the  corner 
stone  of  the  church.  No  doubt  reference  is  here  made  to  the 
octagonal  wooden  church,  built  at  the  instigation  of  Schubbert 
(Strubberg).35 

The  work  is  rich  in  Indian  material.  The  author  does  not 
hesitate  to  draw  Indians  realistically.  In  Friedrichsburg,  how 
ever,  some  of  the  Indians  introduced  are  exceedingly  noble,  and 
even  from  excess  of  emotion  weep ! 

Though  Friedrichsburg  is  for  us  of  today  one  of  the  most 
valuable  of  Strubberg's  many  works,  it  went  through  only  one 
edition. 

1868. — A  us  Armand 's  Frontierleben.     Von  Armand.     Leipzig. 
Julius  Werner.     3  Bde. 

As  the  title  suggests,  Strubberg  has  again  drawn  upon  his 
never-failing  source :  the  years  spent  as  a  frontiersman  on  the 
banks  of  the  Leona.  Under  this  title  are  included  the  novel  Leo- 
nide}  which  takes  up  two  volumes  and  a  few  pages  of  the  third, 
and  the  two  novelettes,  Die  drei  Haush'dlterinnen  and  Bin  Wilder. 


82  Both   are   mentioned   in   the  Fest-Ausgabe,   only   the   latter   is    spelled 
Mopechucope.    Cf.  p.  106. 

w  Cf.  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  108. 
14  Cf.  Fest-Ausgabe,  p.  117. 
"Cf.  Ibid.  p.  73.  For  picture  of  same,  see  p.  24. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  109 

Leonide  is  named  after  its  heroine.  The  form  of  the  novel, 
like  most  of  Strubberg's,  is  open  to  criticism.  Strubberg  never 
learned  to  skilfully  weave  his  exposition  into  the  body  of  a  work. 
He  must  of  necessity  begin  with  the  very  beginning.  In  this  in 
stance  we  are  taken  to  the  San  Saba  Mountains,  where  we  learn 
to  know  Alfred  Davis,  whom  misfortune  had  driven  to  these 
lonely  parts  where  he  had  already  for  ten  years  been  engaged  as 
a  trapper  of  beaver.  "Wie  die  Magnetnadel  nach  Norden  zeigt, 
so  winkt  in  Amerika  das  Ungliick  immer  nach  Westen"  (p.  4). 
Davis  had  won  the  affections  of  Kionata,  the  daughter  of  the 
chief  of  the  Caddoes,  who  had  secretly  left  her  tribe  to 
live  with  him.  Kionata  falls  a  victim  to  the  revenge  of  her 
kinsmen  and  leaves  Davis  alone  with  a  small  daughter, 
Leonide.  Kionata  had  adhered  to  the  religion  of  her  fathers  and 
extracted  a  solemn  promise  from  her  child  to  remain  faithful  to 
the  same.  It  is  the  fate  of  Leonide  and  the  conflict  of  the  nature- 
religion  of  her  mother  with  the  religion  of  her  white  father  within 
her  that  form  the  substance  for  this  work.  Leonide  is  one  of  the 
most  delightful  of  Strubberg's  creations.  Indeed,  it  has  been  re 
marked  that  the  author  excelled  in  the  delineation  of  female 
characters.  It  is  a  fact  that  Strubberg  has  spent  his  most  poetic 
efforts  in  the  portrayal  of  female  personalities,  and  especially 
such  who  live  on  the  border  line  of  nature  and  of  civilization.86 
It  is  in  the  depicting  of  the  Indian  girl  and  the  quadroon  or  mul- 
latto  of  the  South  that  he  has  allowed  himself  the  greatest  poetic 
license. 

In  this  novel  Strubberg  again  appears  to  be  operating  with 
the  Rousseauian  idea  that  human  nature  is  good  before  it  becomes 
defiled  through  the  influence  of  human  culture.  Leonide  is  a 
Rousseauian  character. 

Leonide's  father  remarries  and  settles  at  a  distance  of  a 
several  days'  ride  from  Strubberg's  settlement  on  the  Leona. 
Leonide  is  reared  with  all  the  advantages  that  a  Christian  home 
in  such  a  remote  district  could  offer.  In  spite  of  all  she  is  never 


M  Cf .  H.  Ethe :  Der  transatlantisch-exotische  Roman,  etc.,  in  Essays  und 
Studien.    Berlin,  1872. 


no  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

quite  able  to  release  herself  from  the  faith  of  her  mother.  Strub 
berg  under  the  name  of  Armand  himself  plays  the  role  of  lover 
to  the  fair  Indian  maid.  The  poetry  of  this  romance  is  put  in 
fine  contrast  to  the  rough  realism  of  a  frontier  village.  As  a 
background  serves  an  intrigue  between  several  white  men  inimical 
to  Armand  and  the  Indian  kinsmen  of  Leonide  for  the  purpose 
of  disposing  of  Armand  and  incidentally  restoring  Leonide  to 
her  people.  On  the  eve  of  Armand's  marriage  with  Leonide  a 
fearful  storm  rages,  during  which  the  Davis  home  is  attacked  by 
Indians.  At  the  moment  that  Leonide  sinks  in  the  arms  of  the 
Indian  chief  Toscalor,  her  maternal  grandfather,  both  are  hurled 
to  the  ground  and  killed  by  a  bolt  of  lightning.  This  sensational 
close  is  only  another  instance  of  Strubberg's  weakness.  Leonide's 
totally  unmotivated  death  is  distasteful  in  the  highest  degree,  and 
introduced  for  no  other  apparent  reason  than  to  avoid  Armand's 
union  with  Leonide.  The  author  frequently  introduces  himself 
in  his  novels  as  the  lover,  but  consistently  avoids  actual  mar 
riage.37 

Die  drei  H ausho.lt ennnen,  the  second  work  included  under 
the  title  Aus  Armand's  Frontierleben  occupies  135  pages  of  the 
third  volume.  This,  with  the  novelette  Bin  Wilder,  which  follows 
directly  upon  it,  together  with  Scenen  aus  den  Kdnipfen  der  Mexi- 
caner  und  Nordamerikctner,  and  the  little  work  Der  Methodisten- 
Geistliche,  comprise  Strubberg's  only  endeavors  in  the  shorter 
novelistic  form.  We  can  only  wish  he  had  taken  this  form  more 
frequently  and  thus  avoided  those  difficulties  which  he  never 
mastered  in  the  more  extensive  form. 

One  trait  in  Strubberg's  works,  conspicuous  by  its  absence, 
is  a  sense  of  humor.  The  author's  seriousness  is  in  itself  almost 
amusing.  This  lack  of  humor  may  be  due  partly  to  the  author's 
many  vicissitudes  in  life,  partly  also  to  the  age  of  the  author.  In 
this  novellette,  Die  drei  Haush'dlterinnen,  the  author  has,  how 
ever,  really  proved  himself  capable  of  sketching  a  series  of  humor 
ous  situations.  It  is  perhaps  the  most  refreshing  of  all  of  Strub 
berg's  works. 


*T  Cf.  Bis  in  die  Wildlniss  and  An  der  Indianer-Grenze. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  m 

We  are  again  taken  to  the  banks  of  the  Leona.  The  lonely 
fort,  once  occupied  by  Armand  and  his  three  fellow  colonists, 
is  now  forsaken  and  ruined.  With  the  advance  of  other  settlers, 
Armand  found  it  necessary  to  alter  his  habits  of  life,  and  to  that 
end  built  himself  a  more  pretentious  residence  on  the  Leona,  only 
a  half-hour  below  the  old  fort  which  served  as  "ein  Anhaltspunkt 
seiner  Erinnerung  an  die  gliicklichen  Tage  der  Ruhe  und  Zufrie- 
denheit  nach  den  schweren  Lebenssturmen,  die  ihn  hierher  ver- 
schlagen  hatten."  One  of  the  most  decided  steps  toward  a  return 
to  civilization  was  the  giving  over  of  his  domestic  affairs  into 
the  hands  of  a  woman,  Suky,  a  colossal  colored  mammy.  Suky's 
wonderful  perspiring  propensities,  however,  soon  make  it  quite 
impossible  for  Armand  to  appreciate  her  culinary  art,  and  he 
writes  a  German  friend  in  New  Orleans  to  secure  him  a  German 
housekeeper.  Armand's  difficulties  with  the  three  successive  Ger 
man  housekeepers  who  have  no  sooner  arrived  than  they  are  taken 
in  marriage  by  the  lonely,  wife-seeking  squatters  of  that  remote 
district,  form  the  material  for  this  delightful  little  story. 

This  is  followed  by  Ein  Wilder,  a  novelette  of  113  pages.  It 
is  the  romance  of  a  stalwart  Indian  youth  and  the  only  daughter 
of  a  frontiersman.  The  daughter  Lydia  had  been  carried  off  by 
the  Indians,  but  is  restored  to  her  people  by  the  Indian  brave 
Paneo,  who  has  fallen  a  victim  to  the  charms  of  the  fair  captive. 
Through  the  efforts  of  Armand,  who  again  makes  his  appearance 
and  plays  the  benefactor  as  so  often,  the  Indian  youth  is  given 
Christian  instruction  and  finally  marries  Lydia.  Paneo  is  ideal 
ized  in  the  extreme.  The  splendid  imagery  and  rhetoric  in  the 
mouth  of  the  Indian  youth  appears  out  of  place. 

The  inversion  of  numerous  letters  throughout  the  three 
volumes  of  Aus  Armand's  Frontierleben,  a  note  at  the  end  of  the 
work  explains  is  due  to  no  fault  of  the  compositor,  but  done  at 
the  order  of  the  author.  It  was  Strubberg's  way  of  protecting  his 
work  against  pirating  publishers. 

In  the  same  year  (1868)  a  second  edition  of  Aus  Armand's 
Frontierleben  was  published  in  one  volume  by  Carl  Riimpler,  of 
Hannover. 


112  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

1869. — In  Sud-Carolina  und  auf  dem  Schlachtfelde  von  Langen- 
salza.    Von  Armand.    Hannover.    Carl  Rumpler.   4  Bde. 

The  sensational  romance  woven  into  this  work  reflects  little 
credit  on  the  author  and  we  may  well  omit  tracing  out  its  rambl 
ing  threads.  For  the  panorama  which  the  work  gives  of  the  rise 
and  progress  of  the  Civil  War,  however,  the  author  deserves  un 
reserved  praise.  The  wealth  of  political  and  military  detail  and 
the  conscientious  accuracy  observed  throughout  is  all  the  more 
remarkable  when  we  recall  that  the  author  has  again  passed  out 
of  the  sphere  of  his  own  experiences  for  his  material,  having 
again  returned  to  Germany  several  years  before  the  time  of 
action.  The  author  is  therefore  probably  indebted  to  newspaper 
reports  or  more  accurate  historical  works.  The  slave  element 
and  the  descriptions  of  Southern  plantation  life  no  doubt  rest  on 
personal  experience.  This  work  has  perhaps  less  of  cultural  ma 
terial  than  his  earlier  ones,  but  here  the  author  is  above  all  a  re 
porter  of  national  events,  and  all  else  is  secondary. 

The  scene  of  action  opens  on  a  Louisiana  plantation.  The 
planter  and  his  family  are  greatly  concerned  about  the  outcome 
of  the  pending  presidential  election.  The  older  daughter  Olym- 
pia  and  her  lover  Staunton  are  vehement  supporters  of  the  South ; 
the  younger  daughter  loves  Captain  Bayard,  a  Northern  engineer, 
then  building  the  forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philipp  on  the  Mississippi. 
The  younger  daughter's  sympathies  are  naturally  with  the  North. 
The  vigorous  dialog  between  the  two  daughters  and  their  lovers, 
and  the  final  ostracism  of  the  younger  daughter  give  the  author 
ample  opportunity  for  introducing  the  political  differences  of  the 
North  and  the  South.  Of  the  Southerners  Olympia  says  (Vol.  I, 
p.  9) :  "Frei  und  zum  Herrn  geboren,  hat  der  Siidlander  das  ihm 
von  seinen  ecllen  Vorfahren  hinterlassene  Erbtheil,  seine  Macht, 
seine  Rechte,  bis  jetzt  seinem  Verbiindeten,  dem  Nordlander  ge- 
geniiber  zu  schirmen  und  zu  schiitzen  gewusst,  er  ist  die  starkste 
Stiltze  der  Union  gewesen,  hat  die  Schlachten  gegen  deren 
Feinde  geschlagen  und  mit  seinem  Blute  ihre  Grenzen  erweitert, 
ihren  Reichthum,  ihre  Grosse  vermehrt.  Doch  der  Ritter  des  Sii- 
dens  wird  dem  Schacherer  im  Norden  zu  reich,  zu  machtig,  zu 
unabhangig,  er  giebt  diesen  nordischen  Kramerseelen  *ioch  nicht 


Friedrich  Armand  Stnibberg  113 

genug  Prozente  ab  von  dern  Verdienste,  welchen  er  der  Erde  ab- 
gewinnt,  und  um  seine  Macht  zu  brechen,  ihn  dem  Norden  unter- 
thanig  zu  machen,  greift  man  nach  seinen,  ihn  durch  die  Consti 
tution  garantirten  Rechten,  und  will  ihm  seine  Arbeitskrafte,  seine 
Sclaven  nehmen.  .  .  ." 

The  announcement  of  Lincoln's  election  is  brought.  Great 
consternation  prevails  (Vol.  I,  p.  142  f. )  :  "Wie  ein  zundender 
Blitz  in  eine  Pulvermine,  so  flog  der  Name  Lincoln  durch  die 
Siidstaaten  Amerika's,  und  setzte  Reich  und  Arm,  Vornehm  und 
Niedrig,  Alt  und  Jung,  Mann  und  Weib  in  sturmische  Aufre- 
gung,  in  Wuth  und  Raserei. 

"In  keinem  der  Sclavenstaaten  aber  war  die  Wirkung  eine 
so  heftige,  eine  so  ziigellose,  wie  in  Siid-Carolina,  welches  seit  sei- 
nem  Eintritt  in  die  Union  stets  dem  Norden  das  Widerspiel  gehal- 
ten  hatte,  und  immer  der  Leiter  der  iibrigen  Sclavenstaaten  ge- 
wesen  war.  .  .  ." 

"Der  Augenblick  war  erschienen,  wo  die  langjahrigen  Be- 
miihungen  dieser  Feinde  der  Union  Friichte  tragen  sollten,  und 
Siid-Carolina  zogerte  nicht  einen  Augenblick  nach  Lincoln's  Er- 
wahlung,  das  Feuer  in  das  Pulverfass  zu  werfen. 

"Die  Gesetzgebung  dieses  kleinen  Staates  war  versammelt, 
und  beschloss  einstimmig  die  sofortige  Lostrennung  von  der 
Union.  In  Charleston  kiindigten  mit  wenigen  Ausnahmen  alle 
Beamten  der  Regierung  ihren  Dienst,  die  Bewohner  der  Stadt 
begannen,  in  die  Miliz  einzutreten,  blaue  Cocarden  erschienen  an 
den  Hiiten  der  Manner.  ..." 

Forts  Moultrey  and  Sumter  are  described.  Major  Ander 
son,  whose  career  is  sketched,  is  stationed  at  the  former.  In 
December  of  1860  the  battleship  "Pluto"  makes  its  appearance. 
Anderson's  removal  to  Fort  Sumter  and  the  burning  of  Fort 
Moultrey  are  told  at  length  by  the  author. 

The  second  volume  opens  in  Charleston,  which  is  thronged 
with  people,  gathered  there  to  await  the  crisis.  South  Carolina 
had  seceded.  .On  January  5,  1861,  arrives  the  report  that  Presi 
dent  Buchanan  refused  to  receive  the  officers  of  the  independent 
state  and  that  he  entertained  no  intention  of  withdrawing  the 
Union  troops  from  the  forts.  "Das,"  writes  Strubberg  (Vol.  II, 


ii4  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

p.  1 6  f.),  "war.der  ziindende  Blitz,  der  die  Flammen  des  Krieges 
in  Sud-Carolina  entfesselte  und  sie  nach  den  iibrigen  Sclavenstaa- 
ten  hiniiber  lodern  liess." 

The  author  continues  to  weave  into  his  story  a  full  report  of 
the  actions  of  the  South.  Mississippi,  Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia, 
Louisiana,  and  finally  Texas,  now  also  join  the  republic  of  South 
Carolina.  In  Montgomery,  Alabama,  the  Confederacy  is  founded 
and  Jefferson  Davis  elected  to  its  Presidency. 

Strubberg  now  takes  up  Lincoln,  tells  how  he  leaves  his 
quiet  modest  home  in  Springfield,  and  travels  by  way  of  Philadel 
phia  and  Baltimore  to  Washington.  On  the  way  a  plot  arranged 
by  the  Southerners  to  murder  Lincoln,  is  discovered  and  Lincoln 
is  secretly  taken  to  Washington  a  day  earlier  than  he  had  planned. 
General  Scott,  the  old  hero  of  the  Mexican  War,  had  gathered  a 
small  army  to  protect  Lincoln.  The  Confederacy  now  institutes 
an  army  and  appoints  Major  Pierre  Gustave  Toutant,  named 
Beauregard  as  Brigadier-General.  Strubberg  stops  to  carefully 
sketch  Beauregard's  career.  In  April  Beauregard  receives  orders 
to  command  Major  Anderson  of  the  Union  to  evacuate  Fort 
Sumter  and  to  attack  the  same  upon  refusal.  Then  follows  (Vol. 
II,  p.  132),  a  splendid  description  of  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter 
and  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War. 

The  further  secession  of  Virginia,  Arkansas,  North  Caro 
lina  and  Tennessee,  and  the  final  declaration  of  war  against  the 
rebellious  South  is  recounted.  Jefferson  Davis,  though  the  au 
thor  seldom  introduces  conspicuous  historical  figures  into  the 
dialog  itself,  makes  his  appearance  at  a  social  in  the  palace  of 
Artega,  a  wealthy  Southerner,  in  Charleston,  where  the  principals 
in  the  romance  are  gathered. 

In  Vol.  Ill  a  spirited  account  of  Bull  Run  is  given. 
Strubberg  had  already  in  the  first  volume  introduced  his  inevi 
table  German  in  the  person  of  young  Wallstein,  who,  out  of 
enthusiasm  for  the  republican  form  of  government,  comes  to 
America.  His  unpleasant  experiences  and  his  ideas  of  the  repub 
lic,  and  its  slavery  form  an  interesting  part  of  the  work.  They 
probably  reflect  some  of  the  author's  own  ideas. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  115 

Bayard's  activities  as  a  spy,  the  bombardment  of  Forts  Jack 
son  and  St.  Philipp  under  Farragut,  and  the  attack  on  New  Or 
leans,  form  the  chief  episodes  of  the  third  volume.  Generals  Lee 
and  MacClellan  are  mentioned. 

After  following  Staunton,  the  lover  of  Olympia,  through 
three  volumes,  the  author  with  astonishing  brevity  disposes  of 
him  by  letting  an  alligator  swallow  him  on  the  banks  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  where  Staunton  lay  wounded  from  a  naval  battle. 

The  author's  total  lack  of  proportion  and  inner  unity  is 
nowhere  more  clearly  shown  than  in  this  work.  At  the  end  of 
the  third  volume  Strubberg  with  inartistic  abruptness  abandons 
all  the  characters  we  have  learned  to  know  but  Wallstein  who, 
sick  of  America,  returns  to  his  own  home  in  Westphalia  and 
again  takes  up  his  work  as  an  advocate. 

The  fourth  volume  appears  to  have  no  other  purpose  than  to 
enlarge  the  work.  It  consists  of  a  rather  insipid  love  story,  in 
which  Wallstein  plays  only  an  unimportant  role.  Its  only  re 
deeming  feature  is  its  political  reflections  and  the  graphic  descrip 
tion  of  the  meeting  of  the  Hannoverian  army  with  the  Prussian 
on  the  battlefield  of  Langensalza. 

This  work  was  never  republished. 

1870. — Der  Krosus  von  Philadelphia.    Von  Armand.   Hannover. 
Carl  Riimpler.    4  Bde. 

Strubberg's  baroque  form  of  composition  is  well  illustrated 
in  Der  Krosus.  Having  well  exhausted  his  own  personal  experi 
ences,  he  now  reverts  to  other  phases  of  American  history.  In 
the  previous  novel  the  period  of  the  Civil  War  was  exploited. 
Der  Krosus  is  the  first  work  in  which  material  antedating  the 
author's  own  time  is  introduced.  It  is  in  part  a  historical  novel, 
in  which  the  author  betrays  a  close  study  of  American  affairs. 

The  action  of  the  novel  begins  with  the  year  1791,  in  St. 
Domingo.  Graf  Louvencourt,  a  rich  planter  and  slaveholder, 
finds  himself  in  a  dangerous  position  on  account  of  the  strained 
condition  between  the  whites  and  the  blacks.  At  a  recent  congress 
in  Paris  the  mulattoes  had  been  given  equal  rights  with  the  whites. 


n6  Fried-rich  Armand  Strubberg 

To  this  congress  Vincent  Oge  38  had  been  sent  as  a  mulatto  from 
the  French  island  St.  Domingo. 

By  a  decree  of  July,  1792,  also  all  negroes  who  were  born 
of  free  parents  were  given  equal  rights  with  the  whites.  The 
mulattoes,  many  of  whom  were  already  wealthy  and  influential, 
now  plotted  to  draw  all  the  inhabitants  of  color  to  themselves  and 
extract  by  power  the  privileges  hitherto  denied  them  by  the 
whites.  The  uprisings  against  the  whites  and  the  fearful  atroci 
ties  resorted  to  in  the  execution  of  their  revenge  are  skilfully  nar 
rated  and  occupy  a  large  part  of  the  first  volume.39 

In  the  fifth  chapter,  the  scene  of  action  changes  to  the 
peaceful  Quaker  city  of  Philadelphia.  At  this  time  the  United 
States  had  the  commerce  with  the  West  Indies  almost  solely  in 
its  own  hands.  Philadelphia,  "die  Bruderstadt,"  was  the  chief 
business  centre  for  this  commerce.  One  of  the  oldest  commercial 
houses  in  Philadelphia  was  that  of  Thomas  Pennel,  who  is  por 
trayed  as  a  miser.  Pennel  had  ten  years  before  taken  into  his 
employ  an  orphaned  Irish  lad,  Richard  Gatlard,  who  develops 
remarkable  business  faculties,  but  is  nevertheless  retained  in  the 
office  of  Pennel  at  a  wretched  salary.  The  reports  of  an  ap 
proaching  famine  in  St.  Domingo  reach  the  ears  of  Pennel.  The 
war  between  England  and  France  prevented  France  from  sending 
supplies.  The  internal  uprisings  on  the  island  also  prevented  the 
production  of  food.  Flour  is  already  selling  at  $20  per  barrel. 
Pennel  buys  up  flour  at  $2.50  per  barrel,  loads  the  vessel  "Nep 
tune"  with  it,  and  sends  young  Gatlard  to  St.  Domingo  with  it. 
Pennel  hopes  to  win  $50,000.  Gatlard  is  to  receive  five  per  cent, 
commission. 

On  arriving  at  St.  Domingo,  Gatlard  is  beseeched  by  Lou- 
vencourt  to  save  them  from  the  murdering  negroes,  who  were 
mercilessly  slaying  the  whites.  Louvencourt  offers  Gatlard  an 
enormous  sum  for  conveying  himself,  family  and  possessions  to 
an  American  port.  Gatlard  agrees,  but  will  take  no  passengers 
on  until  the  following  day.  In  the  meanwhile  their  possessions 


"The  character  Vincent  Oge  suggests  Theodor  Miigge's  Toussaint  (1840). 
MThe  two-volume  edition  of  1898  has  been  used. 


Frledrich  Annand  Strubberg  117 

are  to  be  brought  on  board.  Louvencourt  and  many  others  bring 
their  countless  treasures  on  board  expecting  an  onslaught  from 
the  negroes  at  any  moment.  On  the  morrow  all  are  to  be  taken 
on  board. 

The  sun  had  sunk  behind  the  hills  of  Cape  Haiti.  Gatlard 
had  gotten  $150,000  from  the  whites  as  passage  money.  He  was 
a  wealthy  man.  His  eyes  glanced  over  the  numberless  chests 
and  casks  on  the  deck,  holding  priceless  treasures  and  money 
beyond  counting.  If  the  owners,  thought  Gatlard,  should  fall 
victims  to  the  negro  insurgents,  would  he  not  be  lawful  heir? 
Strange  indefinite  thoughts  flit  through  his  active  mind.  Why 
must  he  wait  for  the  passengers  tomorrow  ?  The  day  dawns,  the 
report  of  cannon  is  heard.  The  negroes  have  fallen  upon  the 
whites.  The  Louvencourts,  fleeing,  put  out  to  sea  on  a  small  sail 
boat,  headed  for  the  "Neptune."  Seeking  a  slight  excuse  in  the 
dangers  of  himself  being  attacked  by  the  negroes,  he  orders  the 
"Neptune"  to  lift  anchor  and  sail  away  before  the  very  face  of 
the  despairing  Louvencourts. 

Gatlard  escapes  with  the  treasures,  returns  to  Philadelphia, 
dissolves  connections  with  Fennel,  and  becomes  by  far  the 
wealthiest  man  in  Philadelphia.  The  life  of  the  conscience- 
stricken  Gatlard,  though  much  obscured  by  other  threads  in  the 
novel,  is  the  theme  of  the  work.  Gatlard  is  "Der  Krosus  von  Phi 
ladelphia." 

The  Louvencourts  are  finally  picked  up  by  another  sailing 
vessel,  the  "Delphia,"  bound  for  New  Orleans. 

Strubberg,  having  little  consideration  for  the  patience  of  his 
readers,  now  stops  to  give  an  historical  account  of  Louisiana. 
The  Louvencourts  have  left  New  Orleans,  taken  a  boat  up  the 
Mississippi,  and  settle  on  the  Black  River,  a  very  remote  territory, 
still  open  to  hostile  Indians. 

Strubberg  now  introduces  his  usual  Indian  element.  The 
Indian's  relation  with  the  Spanish  and  the  French,  also  receive 
due  discussion.  The  author  here  introduces  a  Spanish  fort,  situ 
ated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Red  and  the  Black  Rivers,  which  is 
occupied  by  General  Don  Sarzano,  who  insists  on  spending  his 
life  here  with  sixty  men  in  defiance  of  the  Indians.  General  Don 


n8  Fnedrich  Annand  Strubberg 

Sarzano  is  one  of  the  author's  most  individual  characters.  His 
life  and  strange  relation  to  the  beautiful  Whelika,  daughter  of  an 
Indian  chief,  have  only  a  very  slight  connection  with  the  main 
thread  of  the  work  and  form  an  interesting  little  novelette  in 
itself. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  second  volume  we  revert  to  the 
career  of  Gatlard,  who  lives  in  regal  splendor  in  Philadelphia.  He 
has  forsaken  his  early  love  Aglaja  Astor  and  becomes  the  suc 
cessful  suitor  of  Octavio,  the  beautiful  daughter  of  the  wealthy 
Lord  Rowley,  residing  in  Philadelphia.40  The  episode  of  General 
Don  Sarzano  in  his  fort  is  continued.  He  at  last  falls  a  victim  to 
Indians.  His  body  is  sunk  at  night  into  the  waters  of  the  Black 
River,  at  the  place  familiar  to  future  generations  as  "Sarzano's 
Grave." 

The  century  had  drawn  to  a  close.  Washington,  the  father 
of  the  great  new  republic,  had  passed  away.  Spain  had  sold 
Louisiana  to  France.  The  new  president  was  Thomas  Jefferson, 
"ein  alter  Soldat  aus  dem  Unabhangigkeitskriege,  ein  Freund  und 
die  rechte  Hand  des  verstorbenen  Washington,  ein  reiner  edler 
Republikaner,  der  schon  bei  der  Unabhangigkeitserklarung  darauf 
drang,  dass  kein  Stuck  amerikanischer  Erde  unter  einer  fremden 
Macht  verbleiben  diirfe"  (Vol.  II,  p.  184).  Through  Jefferson's 
endeavors  Louisianna  had  been  purchased. 

Louvencourt  had  prospered  on  the  North  River.  His  happi 
ness  was  increased  through  the  arrival  of  many  other  French 
families  who,  through  the  influence  of  the  negro  Toussaint  upon 
the  unbridled  negro  insurgents,  were  enabled  to  leave  St.  Domingo 
and  reach  American  soil  in  safety. 

The  years  passed  in  peace  and  quiet  until  suddenly  in  1812 
the  country  plunged  into  a  second  war  with  England.  The  author 
mentions  the  storming  of  Washington  and  the  burning  of  the 
capitol.  Also  he  mentions  General  Jackson  and  his  fortifying 
New  Orleans  by  means  of  cotton  bales.  An  attack  on  the  city  by 
the  English  in  January,  1815,  is  described. 


40  It  is  the  Philadelphia  of  the  period  directly  after  the  Revolution.  The 
author  introduces  less  definite  local  color,  however,  than  is  noticeable  in 
those  of  his  works  whose  time  of  action  is  contemporaneous. 


Frledrich  Armand  Strubberg  119 

The  time  of  action  now  suddenly  shifts  to  the  spring  of 
1828.  On  the  slender  American  brig,  the  "Lady  Adams,"  sail 
ing  up  the  sparkling  Chesapeake  is  a  single  passenger,  a  young 
German  named  Armand.41  Strubberg,  regardless  of  the  action  of 
his  story,  now  takes  time  to  speak  of  Armand;  is  careful  to 
show  that  Armand  never  takes  brandy  ;42  lets  him  visit  the  Wash 
ington  monument  in  Baltimore,  then  in  course  of  erection;  then 
brings  him  on  to  Philadelphia  by  water.  On  the  way  Armand 
meets  a  young  American  officer,  Horton.  Armand  asks  him 
whether  he  knows  the  wealthy  Richard  Gatlard,  for  he  has  letters 
of  credit  and  recommendation  addressed  to  him.  He  discovers 
that  Horton  is  Gatlard's  nephew,  his  mother  being  Gatlard's  sis 
ter.  Armand  pays  Gatlard  a  visit.  It  is  through  Horton,  whose 
father  was  a  friend  of  Louvencourt,  that  the  aged  Gatlard  and 
Louvencourt,  whom  he  so  foully  robbed  in  his  youth,  are  brought 
together  in  a  very  striking  scene  at  the  close  of  the  work.  Few 
were  ever  to  know  what  a  wretched  life  the  conscience-stricken 
"Krosus"  had  lived.  The  citizens  of  Philadelphia  recognized  in 
him  only  the  kind  old  philanthropist. 

With  the  completion  of  this  novel  Strubberg  had  spanned  in 
his  works  in  a  manner  the  whole  period  of  the  history  of  the 
United  States  from  the  time  directly  after  the  Revolution  down 
through  the  Civil  War. 

A  second  edition  of  Der  Krosus  was  published  in  two  vol 
umes  in  1895  as  the  third  "Abtheilung"  in  Armand' s  ausgewdhlte 
Romane. 

1872. — Die  alte  spanische  Urkunde.    Von  Armand.     Hannover. 
Carl  Riimpler.    2  Bde. 

This  work  commands  the  attention  of  the  reader  from  be 
ginning  to  end,  but  is  built  on  a  rather  absurd  idea.  Robert  and 
Sarah  Walton  are  the  orphaned  children  of  an  Irish  father  and 


**This  autobiographic  reference  is  hardly  accurate.  Strubberg's  first 
trip  to  America  antedates  1828. 

42  A  friend  of  the  author  living  in  Gelnhausen  today  told  the  writer  that 
Strubberg  said  he  had  never  drunk  a  glass  of  "Feuerwasser"  in  his  life. 


I2O  Fried-rich  Armand  Strubberg 

a  Spanish  mother,  the  daughter  of  an  old  aristocrat  Mendoza, 
who  lived  in  America.  They  have  in  their  possession  an  old 
document  which  shows  that  Mendoza  had  received  large  grants 
of  land  along  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  from  the  Spanish  government, 
to  which  land  they  are  the  lawful  heirs.  In  the  first  sixty  pages 
we  follow  the  two  heirs  with  their  document  to  Havanna.  After 
a  stirring  ocean  voyage  the  two  land  at  Havanna,  where  their 
grandfather,  Mendoza,  had  gone  when  the  Spanish  lands  along 
the  Gulf  passed  into  French  control.  Through  the  assistance  of 
the  English  consul  investigations  are  made  in  the  Spanish  bureau, 
and  it  is  discovered  that  Robert  and  Sarah  Walton  are  the  legiti 
mate  heirs  of  all  the  land  on  which  the  prosperous  city  of  Mobile 
is  located ! 

The  author  now  leaves  the  two  heirs  and  transfers  his  read 
ers  to  the  Far  West,  to  the  land  he  knows  so  well,  the  land  on 
the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Leona.  Here  on  the  plantation  of  a 
rich  Spaniard,  whose  name  is  also  Mendoza,  the  action  now  con 
tinues  for  some  time.  Doctor  Armand  (the  author  himself)  now 
enters.  Though  not  very  active,  he  is  a  potent  factor,  constantly 
giving  advice  and  counsel.  An  unnatural  humility  or  modesty 
never  prevented  Strubberg  from  revealing  his  own  personality 
(or  shall  we  say  the  better  part  of  his  personality?).  The  auto 
biographical  material  introduced  is  fairly  consistent  with  that 
found  elsewhere  throughout  his  works.  The  author  does  not 
spare  himself  in  ascribing  to  Armand  that  haughty  manner  which 
seems  to  have  been  one  of  his  most  evident  characteristics  in  life. 
He  lets  one  of  the  characters  say  of  Armand  (Vol.  I,  p.  235  f.)  : 

"Dort  kommt  auch  Einer  herangeritten,  der  nicht  weiss,  wo 
er  sich  vor  Hochmuth  lassen  soil  und  der  die  Gegend  hier  lange 
genung  beherrscht  hat,  weil  er  friiher  der  einzige  Arzt  hier  war." 

An  old  planter,  Arnold,  replies :  "Und  wohl  mit  Recht,  Herr 
Doctor,  thun  ihm  die  Leute  hier  gern  etwas  nach  Wunsch,  denn 
er  hat  Jahre  lang  dieses  Land  bewohnt,  als  kein  anderer  Weisser 
es  der  Indianer  wegen  wagte,  hierher  zu  ziehen,  und  hat,  als 
endlich  die  Ansiedler  sich  urn  ihn  niederliessen,  ihnen  beigestan- 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  121 

den  und  geholfen,  wo  er  konnte,  und  hat  sie  mit  grosster  Auf- 
opferting  in  Krankheiten  behandelt.  .  .  .  Sagen  Sie  mir  nichts 
gegen  Doctor  Armand,  oder  wir  werden  bose  Freunde !" 

The  action  of  the  novel  takes  place  at  a  time  when  Armand 
had  forsaken  his  fort  on  the  Leona  (probably  about  1845),  and 
taken  a  more  pretentious  dwelling  nearby,  where  he  lived  with 
Addison,  his  mulatto  boy,  Milly,  his  quadroon  housekeeper,  and 
his  old  dog  Joe. 

Of  the  picturesque  ruins  of  his  old  fort  on  the  high  banks 
of  the  Leona  he  says  (Vol.  I,  p.  243)  :  "Mich  stimmt  es  immer 
wehmiitig,  wenn  ich  nach  dem  alten,  lieben  Asyl,  nach  dem  Fort 
hinaufschaue  und  daran  denke,  wie  mich  damals  das  Gefuhl,  Herr 
zu  sein  so  weit  der  Himmel  blau,  erhebend  und  fur  friihere  Lei 
den  entschadigend  durchstromte,  wie  ich  dort  mein  Schicksal  in 
eigener  Hand  trug  und  alles  Unangenehme  aus  meinem  Reiche 
zuruckwies  und  von  mir  abschuttelte." 

In  the  meanwhile  Robert  and  Sarah  Walton  have  come  to 
Mobile  and  put  in  their  claims  for  the  possession  of  all  the  land 
on  which  that  city  is  located.  They  succeed  in  getting  the  prom 
inent  advocate  Starford  to  take  up  the  case.  The  citizens  of  Mo 
bile  rise  up  in  indignation  against  the  foreign  upstarts,  who  are 
claiming  their  lands.  Robert  Walton  is  killed  and  the  advocate 
is  obliged  to  flee.  Sarah  had  been  sent  to  New  Orleans  in  order 
to  escape  the  expected  troubles.  A  price  is  set  on  her  head  and 
she  is  pursued.  The  consul  of  New  Orleans  had  placed  her  in 
the  hands  of  Armand  as  Mary  Black.  Through  Armand  she 
enters  the  home  of  Mendoza  as  governess. 

The  second  volume  develops  the  love  story  of  Mary  Black 
and  Carlos,  the  stepson  of  Mendoza.  The  lawsuit,  still  in  prog 
ress,  is  kept  in  the  background.  The  advocate  finally  enters  into 
a  compromise  with  the  city  of  Mobile.  The  latter  pays  to  Sarah 
Walton  ten  million  dollars,  of  which  the  advocate  gets  ten  per 
cent.  The  identity  of  Mary  Black  is  revealed.  She  is  married  to 
Carlos  and  is  happy. 


122  Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg 

The  Indian  element  and  a  minute  description  of  Western 
life  so  frequently  introduced  in  the  author's  works  are  notably 
absent  in  this  novel. 

Die  alte  spanische  Urkimde  had  also  appeared  in  serial  form 
in  the  Kolnische  Zeitung  of  1872. 

A  second  edition  appeared  in  the  second  "Abteilung"  of 
Armand's  Ausgeivdhlte  Romane,  in  1895-1896. 

1872. — Die  Furstentochter.     Von  Armand.     Hannover.      Carl 

Riimpler.    3  Bde. 

Similar  to  Der  Sprung  vom  Niagamfalle,  the  author  again 
lets  much  of  the  action  take  place  in  Europe.  The  prince  of  an 
aristocratic  European  house  falls  in  love  with  the  Comtesse  Laura 
Olviani.  He  contracts  a  marriage  with  her,  which,  on  account 
of  the  inferior  position  of  the  Comtesse,  is  not  made  public.  The 
prince  after  ten  years  becomes  faithless  and  marries  a  certain 
princess,  whose  position  permits  him  to  recognize  her  as  his  wife. 
Out  of  despair  the  forsaken  Comtesse  decides  to  emigrate  to 
America  with  her  little  daughter. 

The  American  element  enters  in  the  middle  of  the  second 
volume  and  is  introduced  as  follows  (Vol.  II,  p.  108)  :  "Von 
ihrer  friihen  Jugend  an  hatte  Laura  sich  fur  die  neue  Welt,  fur 
Amerika,  leidenschaftlich  interessiert  und  hatte  die  immer  zuneh- 
mende  Auswanderung  dorthin  mit  reger  Theilnahme  verfolgt." 
Also  (Vol.  II,  p.  130)  :  "Die  in  den  Zeitungen  oft  besprochene 
Auswanderung  nach  Texas  hatte  denn  auch  im  Friihjahr  lebhaft 
begonnen,  nahm  aber  im  Sommer  noch  mehr  zu,  und  auf  den 
Hauptstrassen,  welche  nach  den  Nordseehafen  fuhrten,  begeg- 
nete  man  haufig  den  hoffnungstrunkenen  Wanderern,  die  leichten 
Herzens  ihrer  alten,  trauten  Heimath  den  Riicken  gekehrt  hatten, 
und  jubelnd  mit  Sack  und  Pack,  Alt  und  Jung  den  Schifren  zu- 
strebten,  die  sie  durch  das  Weltmeer  nach  dem  ihnen  vorgespiel- 
ten  Zauberlande  tragen  sollten." 

The  author  again  exploits  the  literary  possibilities  of  the 
ocean  voyage  and  draws  it  out  by  a  vivid  shipwreck  scene.  The 


Friednch  Armand  Strubberg  123 

vessel  in  which  the  Comtesse  Laura  and  her  daughter  Castalia 
and  their  servants,  together  with  many  German  emigrants  have 
taken  passage,  is  wrecked  off  the  coast  of  Texas.  A  passing  ves 
sel  takes  them  to  the  coast.  In  the  third  volume  we  follow 
Laura's  caravan  from  Houston  to  the  interior  of  Texas  through 
many  hardships.43  The  author  introduces  the  Texas  Rangers, 
who  were  designated  to  protect  the  advancing  settlers  against  the 
attacks  of  the  Indians.  Laura  and  her  attendants  finally  find  a 
suitable  place  for  settlement  and  live  in  quiet.  Toward  the  end 
of  the  work  Laura  and  her  retinue  make  an  expedition  to  the 
beautiful  Brazos  Falls,  but  are  attacked  by  a  war  party  of  Co- 
manche  Indians.  Later  Laura's  settlement  is  washed  away  by  the 
flooding  river  and  Laura  is  drowned.  Castalia,  the  "Fiirsten- 
tochter,"  is  however  saved,  and  marries  the  son  of  their  former 
forester,  who  had  also  emigrated  to  Texas,  having  escaped  after 
assisting  in  the  Revolution  at  home. 

Die  Furstentochter  was  never  republished. 

1873. — Der  Methodisten-Geistliche.     Eine   Erzahlung  aus  dem 
amerikanischen  Leben  von  Armand. 

It  appeared  as  Vol.  Ill  in  Interessante  Gestalten.  Bibliothek 
neuer  Romane  und  Erzahlungen.  Prag.  Verlag  d.  Bohemia. 

This  is  one  of  Strubberg's  shorter  works  occupying  only  205 
pages.  The  scene  of  action  opens  in  a  little  town  on  the  borders 
of  a  prairie  in  the  southwestern  part  of  North  America.  In  the 
text,  unlike  that  of  most  of  his  other  works,  the  author  has  given 
his  scene  no  definite  geographical  position,  nor  does  he  include 
much  of  his  usual  cultural  material.  Prompted  probably  by  the 
nature  of  the  series  in  which  this  work  appeared,  it  was  Strub 
berg's  object  to  portray  an  American  character  in  an  interesting 
story.  The  author  shows  an  interest  in  Methodism  in  various  of 


48  This  journey  possibly  reflects  the  experience  of  the  German  emigrants 
brought  on  by  the  "Adelsverein"  in  1844  and  1845. 


124  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

his  works  and  frequently  depicts  their  forms  of  worship,  though 
in  a  somewhat  ludicrous  manner.44 

In  this  novel  Methodism,  as  it  prevailed  in  a  frontier  town 
among  people  whose  religion  found  vent  in  a  sensational  emotion 
alism,  forms  the  background  for  the  life  of  the  Methodist  clergy 
man,  who  under  the  guise  of  winning  young  ladies  as  "heavenly 
brides,"  has  only  his  own  passionate  interests  at  heart.  The  vil 
lainous  life  of  the  ignominious  Methodist  clergyman  and  his 
attempts  to  take  advantage  of  the  orphan  daughter  of  the  Ger 
man  Willibald  von  Randorf,  who  has  been  reared  in  the  Evan 
gelical  Church  of  Germany,  and  refuses  to  submit  herself  to  the 
ecstacies  of  Methodism,  form  the  material  for  an  unpleasant  and 
gaudy  romance.  Cf.  the  Methodist  minister  who  thwarted 
Strubberg's  nuptials. 

At  the  close  of  the  work  is  given  a  very  vivid  railriding 
scene  ( Scheitholzreiten  ) . 

Der  Methodistcn-Geistliche  was  never  republished. 

1874. — Zwei  Lebenswege.  Von  Armand.  Mit  vier  Illustrationen 
in  Farbendruck  und  einem  Kartchen.  Prag.  Druck  und 
Verlag  der  Bohemia,  Actiengesellschaft  fur  Papier-  und 
Druckindustrie.  i  Bd. 

Like  Carl  Scharnhorst  this  book  of  adventures  is  more  ex 
pressly  for  the  young.  After  the  manner  carried  out  in  Saat 
und  Ernie,  the  author  presents  two  boys  of  strongly  contrasting 
natures.  Otto  Garbauer,  son  of  a  former  seaman,  is  a  clean, 
straightforward  lad,  who  is  to  follow  the  career  of  his  father. 


44  Cf.  Der  Sprung  vom  Niagarafalle,  Vol.  IV,  p.  93  f,  and  An  der  India- 
nergrenze,  Vol.  II,  p.  108  f  (2nd  Ed.). 

The  author  himself  appears,  at  least  in  his  later  years,  to  have  had  a 
strong  religious  inclination,  a  trait  which  appears  again  and  again  in  his 
works.  The  excessively  religious  tone  of  some  of  his  characters  is  not 
always  pleasing  in  its  effect.  Strubberg  now  and  then  gave  open  expression 
to  his  religious  bent.  He  claimed  (see  Appendix)  on  one  occasion  to  have 
thrashed  the  poet  Heine,  who  in  his  youth  is  said  to  have  been  a  visitor  at 
the  Strubberg  house,  for  his  irreligious  views.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
eighties  he  was  even  on  the  verge  of  handing  a  protest  to  the  Reichstag 
against  several  members  who  were  notorious  atheists,  and  had,  as  he  thought, 
consequently  no  right  to  represent  the  people  of  a  Christian  state. 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  125 

Franz  Hagen,  son  of  the  village  pastor,  is  treacherous  and  dis 
honest.  The  adventures  of  these  two  boys  are  then  related  side 
by  side,  and  the  author  in  a  somewhat  didactic  fashion  shows 
that  the  ways  of  the  wicked  do  not  go  unpunished. 

Franz  Hagen  steals  his  father's  church  money,  escapes  at 
night  with  Trompeter  Sturz,  a  low  character,  who  has  lived  an 
adventurous  life  in  America,  to  Bremen,  where  they  board  a  ves 
sel  for  America.  Otto  Garbauer  is  at  the  same  time  placed  as  an 
apprentice  on  the  sailing  vessel  "Mathilda,"  under  Captain  Har- 
man.  North  of  Scotland  the  "Mathilda"  is  wrecked  and  only 
Harman  and  Otto  are  saved,  having  been  picked  up  by  a  whaler. 
Strubberg  now  gives  a  very  vivid  account  of  whale  fishing,  which 
is  continued  for  several  weeks.  The  vessel  is  on  its  way  to  Baffin 
Bay,  but  is  caught  in  the  ice  and  founders.  Harman  and  Otto 
effect  their  escape  on  the  pieces  of  ice  to  a  waste  where  nothing 
greets  them  but  snow  and  ice.  They  wander  on  until  a  peculiar 
mound  of  snow,  which  seems  to  show  the  touch  of  human  hands, 
confronts  them.  It  is  the  home  of  an  Esquimau,  who  greets 
them  kindly.  He  speaks  English,  having  once  accompanied  an 
American  polar  expedition!  Here  the  two  remain  to  the  close 
of  the  summer  and  during  the  long  winter  night  until  the  follow 
ing  summer.  The  author  describes  very  minutely  Esquimau  life, 
their  clothing,  and  how  to  build  an  ice  hut.  The  wild  animals  of 
the  North  are  introduced  and  carefully  described.  Otto  and  the 
Captain  are  finally  picked  up  by  a  whaler  on  its  way  to  New 
York. 

Franz  Hagen  and  his  rascally  friend  have  in  the  meanwhile 
led  villainous  lives  in  New  York  as  gamblers.  Franz  becomes  a 
circus  rider,  later  a  horse  thief,  and  is  finally  sentenced  to  six 
years  in  Sing  Sing.  Both  he  and  Otto  later  return  to  their  homes 
in  Germany. 

This  work  has  little  literary  value  for  us.  Its  wealth  of 
minutely  described  exotic  material,  however,  commends  it  as 
juvenile  literature. 

A  less  expensive  edition  of  Zwei  Lebenswege  appeared  in 
the  same  year. 


126  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

1875. — Die  geraubten  Kinder.  Eine  Erzahlung  aus  Texas  fur 
die  Jugend  von  Armand.  Mit  vier  Bildern  in  lithographi- 
schem  Farbendruck  von  Professor  H.  Biirkner.  Breslau. 
Verlag  von  Eduard  Trewendt.  i  Bd. 

In  this  juvenile  novel  the  author  is  more  successful  than  in 
Zwei  Lebenswege.  Though  not  so  rich  in  adventure  as  Carl 
Scharnhorst,  it  excels  that  novel  in  poetic  narrative.  Strubberg's 
simple,  pleasing  style,  with  occasional  didactic  and  moralizing 
traits,  makes  him  an  attractive  writer  for  children.  The  author 
wastes  no  time  in  tracing  the  careers  of  his  characters  before  they 
emigrate  to  America,  as  he  so  often  does,  but  takes  us  at  once  to 
his  beloved  Texas.  ".  .  .  in  dem  ewig  f  ruhlingsgriinen,  von  den 
durchsichtigen  Wogen  des  mexikanischen  Golfs  bespiilten,  scho- 
nes  Texas,"  writes  the  author,  "liber  dessen  unabsehbare,  Jahr 
aus  und  Jahr  ein  mit  tausendfaltigen  Blumen  geschmiickte  Prai- 
rien,  die  frische,  kiihle  Seeluft  ununterbrochen  hinweht  und  die 
sengende  Gluth  der  Sonnenstrahlen  verscheucht,  in  dessen  kry- 
stallklaren,  schaumend  brausenden  Stromen  man  die  Fische  bis 
auf  den  tiefsten  Grund  spielen  sieht,  dessen  Riesenunvalder  in 
ihrem  Dunkel  die  prachtigsten  Bliithen  und  die  sussesten  Friichte 
zur  Schau  tragen,  und  dessen  Westen  von  purpurblauen  Gebirgen 
begrenzt  ist,  liegt  ein  Stadtchen,  welches  Friedrichsburg  heisst. 
Friedrichsburg  wurde  im  Anfange  der  vierziger  Jahre  von  deut- 
schen  Einwanderern  erbaut  und  zahlte  nach  wenigen  Jahren  be- 
reits  iiber  tausend  Bewohner,  trotzdem  es  noch  immer  sparlichen 
Verkehr  mit  der  iibrigen  Welt  hatte.  Es  liegt  hoch  in  den  west- 
lichen  Gebirgen;  die  nachsten  Stadte,  Neu-Braunfels,  ungefahr 
zu  gleicher  Zeit  ebenfalls  von  Deutschen  gegriindet,  siidlich  von 
Friedrichsburg  und  Austin  am  Colorado,  ostwarts  von  demselben 
gelegen,  waren  iiber  hundert  englische  Meilen  entfernt,  und  im 
Norden  und  Westen  breitet  sich  die  Urwildniss  aus." 

At  the  extreme  west  end  of  Friedrichsburg  lived  the  family 
Von  Bialof.  Herr  v.  Bialof,  a  Galizian,  had  been  a  "Rittmeister" 
in  Austrian  service.  He  was  the  second  son  in  a  noble  family 
and  his  heritage  was  consequently  a  small  one,  his  older  brother 
being  according  to  custom  the  chief  heir.  He  had  married  a  cer- 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  127 

tain  Grafm  B.,  and  had  two  children.  Seeing  that  his  income 
was  quite  too  small,  he  resolved  to  emigrate  to  America.  "Texas," 
writes  Strubberg  (p.  4),  "war  damals  das  Land,  wohin  Tausende 
von  Unzufriedenen  und  Europamuden  ihre  sehnsikhtigen  Blicke 
richteten  und  auch  Bialof  wahlte  es  zu  seiner  neuen  Heimat." 

Early  in  the  story  the  two  children  of  Von  Bialof,  a  boy 
and  girl  of  eight  and  nine  years  respectively,  are  robbed  by  four 
Mescalero  Indians  and  brought  to  their  chief,  Paringa,  who  de 
sires  to  rear  the  fair  children  as  his  own.  The  parents  in  com 
pany  with  a  tribe  of  friendly  Delawares,  under  their  young  chief 
Youngbear,  set  out  to  pursue  the  Indians  and  regain  their 
children.  The  experience  of  the  children,  their  own  remarkable 
efforts  to  escape,  and  their  success  in  concealing  themselves  from 
their  pursuers,  together  with  the  efforts  of  their  parents  and  the 
final  recovery  of  their  children,  furnish  the  material  for  this 
novel. 

The  courtly  behavior  of  Strubberg's  Indians  in  this  work  is 
slightly  amusing.  The  little  white  girl,  Roschen,  as  she  is  called, 
hands  the  Indian  Karkhui  some  wild  strawberries.  He  replies : 
"Karkhui  macht  das  scharfe  Reiten  in  der  Sonne  nicht  mude  und 
nicht  hungrig,  nur  weil  Du  sie  mir  so  freundlich  giebst,  schme- 
cken  sie  mir  so  gut."  Paringa,  the  old  Indian  chief,  lifts  her 
hand,  kisses  it  and  says :  "Paringa  ist  immer  gliicklich,  wenn  er 
Dich  bei  sich  hat"  (p.  89). 

Youngbear  exclaims  "Gottlob!"  rather  a  strange  ejaculation 
for  an  Indian. 

On  page  5 1  is  shown  an  Indian  in  the  solemn  act  of  sun  wor 
ship. 

The  Colonialdirector  of  Friedrichsburg  (Strubberg  him 
self — )  is  referred  to  (p.  133).  The  time  of  action  is  therefore 
about  1847. 

The  Indian  Youngbear,  we  remember,  appears  also  in  the 
novel  Friedrichsburg.  The  Indian  name  Katensi  is  probably  a 
perversion  of  Kateumsi,  an  Indian  name  which  also  appears  in 
Friedrichsburg. 

The  author,  it  appears,  has  to  some  extent  drawn  on  his  ex 
periences  as  Colonialdirector  in  the  colony  of  Friedrichsburg. 


128  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

Perhaps  mindful  of  the  fact  that  he  is  writing  a  juvenile 
novel,  the  author  has  idealized  the  Indian  rather  decidedly  and 
spread  a  glamor  of  romance  over  the  whole. 

Die  geraubten  Kinder  went  through  only  one  edition. 

1878. — Vornehm  und  Bilrgerlich.     Roman  aus  dem  Leben  von 

Armand. 

This  is  the  author's  last  novel.  It  was  never  published  in 
book  form.  It  had  appeared  as  a  serial  in  the  Kref elder  Zei- 
tung,**  in  the  year  1878.  The  work  is  arranged  for  publication  in 
three  volumes. 

It  is  in  a  sense  a  "Tendenz-Roman."  As  the  subject  betrays, 
it  takes  up  German  social  relations.  The  author's  knowledge  of 
democratic  institutions  serves  him  well  here  in  defining  the  rela 
tion  between  the  "sogenannten  Vornehme"  and  the  "Burgerliche." 
In  this,  like  so  many  of  the  author's  later  novels,  the  ethno 
graphic  material  takes  up  but  a  small  part  of  the  whole. 

Through  two  volumes  we  follow  a  gaudy  love  story. 
Herr  Hochberg,  a  wealthy  aristocrat,  falls  in  love  with  Helene 
Walther,  an  orphan,  poor,  but  wellbred,  and  having  enjoyed  a 
certain  amount  of  culture.  It  is  the  old  conventional  love  story. 
Hochberg  is  sincere  in  his  passion  for  Helene,  but  his  social  posi 
tion  does  not  permit  him  to  marry  her.  It  is  a  blow  Helene 
never  quite  overcomes.  She  retires  to  a  little  town  where,  in  a 
democratic  spirit,  she  hopes  to  earn  a  livelihood  by  the  labor  of 
her  hands.  Here  she  meets  a  friend  of  her  youth.  Franz  Haupt, 
whom  she  marries. 

This  work  possesses  little  literary  value.  The  advanced  age 
of  the  author  (Strubberg  was  seventy-two  years  old  when  this 


46  The  following  is  an  excerpt  from  a  letter  addressed  to  me  by  the 
editors  of  the  above-mentioned  paper : — .  .  .  In  Beantwortung  Ihres  geehr- 
ten  Schreibens  von  gestern  erwiedern  wir  Ihnen,  dass  der  Roman  "Vornehm 
und  Burgerlich"  im  Feuilleton  der  "Krefelder  Zeitung"  vom  i.  Oktober  bis  7. 
Dezember,  1878,  erschienen  ist  und  z.  Zeit  sehr  grossen  Beifall  in  unserem 
Leserkreise  gefunden  hat.  .  .  . 

Hochachtungsvoll ! 

Redaktion  d.  Krefelder  Zeitung. 
(Signed)     Kramer  &  Baum. 

The  serial  pages  of  this  work  were  furnished  to  the  writer  by  Frau 
Lenkmann  of  Kassel. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  129 

work  appeared)  may  explain  in  part  the  diffuse  form  of  this 
novel.  Many  of  the  incidents  upon  which  important  motivations 
are  based  are  too  startling  and  unnatural  to  be  in  good  taste. 
Thus  Franz  Haupt  and  Helene  have  no  sooner  gotten  happily  set 
tled  in  their  house  than  a  fire  breaks  out  and  their  house  is  burnt 
to  the  ground.  This  motivates  their  emigration  to  America. 
Helene  in  her  reply  to  her  husband's  suggestion  of  migrating  re 
plies  :  "Doch  nun  hore,  dass  auch  ich  fortwahrend  an  Amerika 
gedacht  habe,  weil  dort  das  Land  ist,  wo  Arbeit  und  Fleiss  be- 
lohnt  werden  und  wo  der  Arbeitende  geehrt  und  geachtet  wird." 
They  take  passage  on  the  "Catharine"  (Captain  Sagemiihl)  from 
Bremen  to  Baltimore. 

Hochberg,  sick  at  heart,  has  in  the  meanwhile  traveled  ex 
tensively.  For  a  long  time  he  resided  in  Rome.  The  author  de 
scribes  a  Roman  carnival.  Hochberg  is  persuaded  by  his  Amer 
ican  friend  Carton,  while  in  Rome,  to  seek  solace  for  his  wounded 
spirit  in  America.  "Amerika,"  says  Carton,  "soil  Sie  schon  wie- 
der  aufheitern;  es  hat  schon  manches  wunde  deutsche  Herz  ge- 
heilt."46  Hochberg  sails  from  Livorno  to  Baltimore. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  third  volume  we  at  last  have  our 
chief  characters  in  America.  Franz  and  Helene  having  been 
robbed  of  their  small  savings  remain  in  Baltimore  for  some  time. 
Hochberg  meets  them  here,  and,  suffering  from  a  feeling  of  hav 
ing  acted  unjustly  to  Helene,  gives  Franz  and  Helene  financial 
aid. 

Hochberg  goes  to  Niagara  Falls  (as  Strubberg  had  done  on 
his  early  trip  to  America).  The  author  gives  a  very  fine  descrip 
tion  of  that  great  cataract,  which  had  attracted  so  many  of 
Europe's  romantic  spirits. 

Toward  the  close  of  the  work  we  follow  Franz,  Helene  and 
child,  to  St.  Louis  and  thence  to  the  little  town  of  Independance 
on  the  Missouri.  On  arriving  they  hear  of  a  great  caravan  about 
to  leave  for  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  whither  the  gold  and  silver 
mines  were  then  attracting  many  Americans.  They  resolve  to 
join  it.  In  crossing  the  prairies,  the  caravan  is  attacked  and  only 


"  Cf.  Beginning  of  Chapter  VII,  Vol.  III. 


130  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

Franz  and  Helene,  with  their  child  escape.  They  return  to  Inde- 
pendance  and  then  wander  on  to  Cincinnati.  In  the  vicinity  of 
that  city  they  buy  land  on  the  Ohio,  and  convert  its  hilly  slopes, 
Rhine-like,  into  huge  vineyards;  they  make  wine,  prosper,  and 
become  a  distinguished  American  family — "Biirgerlich  und  doch 
vornehm !" 

POEMS. 

Upon  the  close  of  the  novel  In  Mexico,  at  the  end  of  the 
fourth  volume  of  the  first  edition,  published  by  Schmorl  und  Von 
Seefeld  in  Hannover,  1865,  follows  a  handful  of  poems,  Dichtun- 
gen  aus  den  Cordilleren,  which  have  little  genuine  merit,  but  can 
not  be  omitted  in  a  treatment  of  the  author's  complete  works.  The 
author  introduces  them  with  these  lines : 

"Der  Verfasser  fiigt  hier  die  nachfolgenden  Gedichte  bei, 
weil  sie  aus  der  Zeit  herstammen,  wo  er  in  jenen  Landern,  den 
Schauplatzen  vorstehenden  Werkes  lebte.  Unter  dem  frischen, 
begeisternden  Eindruck  damaliger  Umgebung  erstanden,  geben 
sie  treue  Schilderungen  jener  Gegenden  und  Bilder  aus  dem  Leben 
und  den  Erlebnissen  des  Verfassers  selbst,  und  werden  als  solche 
seinen  verehrten  Lesern  und  Leserinnen  nicht  unwillkommen 


sein." 


The  first  poem  in  the  collection,  Treue  Liebe,  consisting  of 
eight  strophes,  contains  no  local  coloring.  The  poem  has  a  pretty, 
though  rather  worn  subject:  The  rose  and  her  lover  the  wind. 
Aside  from  its  really  musical  verses,  the  poem  is  interesting  on 
account  of  its  personal  note.  It  is  very  perceptible  that  the  rose 
is  Strubberg's  youthful  love  and  he  himself  the  wind.  The  duel 
with  the  opposing  cousin  of  the  young  lady  in  Bremen,  upon 
which  Strubberg  flees  to  America  is  also  reflected : 

"Da  bricht  herein  der  Trennung  Weh, 
Sie  woll'n  in  Schmerz  vergeh'n : 
Leb'  wohl,  Du  siisse  Ros',  Ade — 
Auf  gliicklich  Wiedersehn! 
Ein  schwarz  Gewitter  reisst  ihn  auf 
In  fernen,  luft'gen  Raum, 
Und  treibt  ihn  wirbelnd  mit  sich  fort; 
Hin  ist  der  Fruhlingstraum  1" 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  131 

Again,  with  more  apparent  reference  to  himself: 

"In  eis'gem  Sturm,  in  Sonnengluth 
Durchzieht  er  Land  und  See, 
Bald  jauchzt  er  auf  in  frohem  Muth, 
Bald  seuf zt  er  hohl  und  weh : 
Ob  in  der  Tropen  Wunderland 
Manch'  schone  Blum'  er  sieht, 
Die  Rose,  sie  vergisst  er  nie, 
Die  ihm  so  hold  erbluht." 

In  his  second  poem  Der  Eissturm  in  den  Cordilleren,  the 
author  has  hit  upon  a  happier  subject.  The  raging  elements  in 
their  most  awful  and  august  moments  were  always  a  favorite 
theme  of  Strubberg.  The  grandeur  of  the  Cordilleres  and  the 
fury  of  the  storm  sweeping  over  them  is  well  described.  The 
poem  is  written  in  the  familiar  meter  of  Longfellow's  "Hia 
watha,"  though  in  verses  of  eight  accents  each.  To  illustrate: 

"In  der  Auden  Riesenkette  steigen  der  Gebirge  Massen 
Auf  in  waldbedeckten  Hohen,  in  gewaltigen  Terrassen 
Thurmen  holier  sich  die  Felsen,  bis  die  eisgekronten  Spitzen 
Unter'm  blauen  Ather  schwebend,  in  dem  Gold  der  Sonne  blitzen. 


"Gold  und  Purpur  gliiht  im  Westen  uber  der  Gebirge  Nacken, 
Und  in  rothem  Feuersaume  strahlen  ihre  eis'gen  Zacken; 
Da  erhebt  ein  schwarz  Gewolke  plotzlich  sich  im  fernen  Norden, 
Wachset  rasch  und  Unheil  drohend  liber  der  Gebirge  Borden." 

Der  Eissturm  in  den  Cordilleren  is  followed  by  Der  Prairie- 
brand,  another  favorite  subject,  and  one  which  the  author  has 
rendered  in  various  forms  in  several  of  his  novels.  The  poem,  in 
the  same  meter  as  the  above,  gives  in  seventy-six  verses  a  fine 
description  of  this  tragedy  of  the  prairies.  The  author  after  his 
fashion  introduces  himself  fleeing  before  the  pursuing  flames  on 
his  familiar  white  stallion.  Internal  evidence  leads  us  to  con 
clude  that  the  poem  is  a  poetic  version  of  that  prairie  fire  so 
strikingly  described  in  Amer.  Jagd-  und  Reiseabenteuer. 


132  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

The  four  little  Stimmungsgedichte:  Der  M  or  gen  in  der  Wild 
niss,  Der  Mittag  in  der  Wildniss,  Der  Abend  in  der  Wildniss, 
and  Die  Nacht  in  der  Wildniss,  reflect  no  additional  glory  on  the 
poet. 

The  last  poem,  Des  Indianer's  Rache,  is  a  poetic  version  of 
the  episode  of  the  faithless  Indian  maid  Zateka,  her  Indian  lover 
Utho,  and  the  white  criminal  Toroney  introduced  in  Der  Sprung 
vom  Niagarafalle,47  which  was  published  in  the  previous  year, 
1864.  The  exposition  of  the  poem  is  in  fifteen  strophes  of  eight 
verses  each.  Here  again  it  appears  that  Strubberg  had  Longfel 
low's  "Hiawatha"  as  prototype : 

"Vor  dem  buntgeschmiickten  Zelte 
Hielt  auf  weichen  Bisonhauten 
Utho,  der  Indianerhauptling, 
In  der  jungen  Liebe  Freuden 
Seine  reizende  Zateka 
Mit  dem  braunen  Arm  umwunden, 
Selig  traumend,  denn  er  hatte 
Nie  zuvor  solch  Gliick  empfunden." 

In  the  last  third  of  the  poem  in  which  the  Indian  lover  exe 
cutes  revenge  upon  the  Indian  maid  and  his  white  opponent,  the 
influence  of  Schiller's  Der  Toucher  is  very  noticeable.  In  the  epi 
sode  in  the  novel  the  maid  and  her  lover  are  sent  over  the  falls 
of  the  Niagara.  In  the  poem  no  specific  locality  is  stated.  The 
poem  closes  with  these  verses : 

"Wie  das  Schiffchen  dahinjagt,  von  Wellen  umzischt, — 
Wie  die  Beiden  sich  fester  umschliessen, — 
Wie  sie,  fliegend  umwehet  von  spriihendem  Gischt, 
In  den  fluthenden  Abgrund  jetzt  schiessen! — 
Da  unten  in  ewiger,  grausiger  Nacht 
1st  der  Hass  und  die  Liebe  zu  Grabe  gebracht" 

It  need  not  be  added  that  Strubberg's  sphere  was  not  that 
of  poetry.  These  poems  were  not  reprinted  in  the  second  edition 
of  In  Mexico,  published  in  1898. 

*T  Cf.  Vol.  IV,  p.  189.    The  same  names  have  been  employed. 


Frledrich  Armand  Strubberg  133 

DRAMAS. 

Long  before  Strubberg  published  his  last  novel,  Vornehm 
und  Burgerlich,  a  marked  deterioration  in  his  works  is  noticeable ; 
probably  this  is  due  in  part  to  his  advanced  age,  in  part  to  the 
vexations  through  many  years,  brought  on  by  the  lawsuit  of  the 
Hessian  agnates  against  Prussia,  which  the  author  as  advocate  for 
the  Hessian  house,  led  to  a  successful  end. 

It  is  one  of  the  regrettable  features  in  Strubberg's  career  that 
he  was  unable  to  measure  his  limitations.  Nothing  is  more  pa 
thetic  than  the  author's  attempt  in  his  old  age  to  gather  fresh 
laurels  as  a  dramatist.  The  few  dramas  before  us  show  his 
utter  failure  in  this  department  of  literature.  They  are  the  only 
works  of  the  author  which  appeared  under  the  name  of  F.  A. 
Strubberg. 

In  1882  appeared  Strubberg's  most  pretentious  dramatic  en 
deavor:  Gustav  Adolf  **  Trauerspiel  in  fiinf  Aufziigen  von  F.  A. 
Strubberg  (Armand).  Den  Biihnen  gegeniiber  Manuscript.  Cas- 
sel.  Druck  von  Rich.  Trommer. 

Apparently  Schiller's  Wallenstein  served  as  a  prototype 
for  Gustav  Adolf.  The  play  is  rich  in  historical  matter,  but  it  is 
not  made  an  integral  part  of  the  dialog.  The  exposition  is  man 
aged  with  little  art  and  evidently  only  out  of  the  necessity  to  in 
form  the  reader  rather  than  also  growing  properly  out  of  the 
work. 

Gustav  Adolf  is  portrayed  as  "der  grosse  Sieger,  der  wie  ein 
Rettungsengel  iiber  Deutschland  zog."  He  has  at  heart  only  the 
restoration  of  the  freedom  of  faith  in  Germany.  The  battle  of 
Breitenfeld  crowns  "des  Konig's  edles  Rettungswerk,  die  Evan- 
gel'schen  Deutschlands  aus  der  Macht  der  Jesuiten  zu  befreien." 
The  author  introduces  the  struggles  of  the  Evangelical  Church 

48  The  dramatis  persona  are :  Gustav  Adolf,  Konig  von  Schweden ;  Koni- 
gin  Marie  Eleonore;  Hofdame  Anna  Lesslie;  Reichskanzler  Axel  Oxenst- 
jerna;  Rittmeister  Bitzthum ;  Graf  Thurn ;  Kanzler  Goetze;  Obrist  Taupodel ; 
Landgraf  Wilhelm  V.  von  Hessen;  Edelknabe  Leuhelfing;  Wallenstein; 
Jesuit  Munyeli;  Terszky;  Fiihrer,  Rathsherr  zu  Niirnberg;  Jarski,  Botte  von 
Wien;  Rathsherrn  zu  Frankfurt;  Herzog  Franz  Albert  von  Lauenberg. 

Die  Scene  im  ersten  Akt  in  Frankfurt  a.  M.,  im  zweiten  in  Prag,  im 
dritten  in  Frankfurt  a.  M.,  im  vierten  in  Niirnberg,  im  funften  in  Erfurt  und 
in  Weissenfels. 


134  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

against  Catholicism.  The  conflict  lies  between  Gustavus  Adolphus 
and  Wallenstein.  The  latter  has  little  to  remind  us  of  Schiller's 
Wallenstein,  but  his  interests  in  astrology.  Strubberg  charac 
terizes  Wallenstein  with  such  words  as  "dunkeler,"  "geheimnis- 
voller,"  or  "grauenvoller  Mann."  Strubberg  shows  no  partiality, 
but  makes  him  a  low  designer  for  the  throne  of  Bohemia.  The 
play  closes  with  a  long  description  of  the  death  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus  in  the  battle  of  Weissenfels. 

The  dialog  leaves  much  to  be  desired.  The  characters  are 
themselves  quite  lost  in  the  long  verbose  passages  they  are  given 
to  say.  Strubberg,  the  narrator,  is  very  present.  The  play, 
though  written  in  prose  form  is  so  rhythmical  that  one  is  dragged 
along  unwillingly.  The  attempt  at  rhythm  is  very  evident  and 
often  very  strained.  The  affected  misplaced  pronouns  and  elided 
forms  are  unpardonable.49 

1883. — Der  Freigeist.50  Schauspiel  in  drei  Aufziigen  von  F.  A. 
Strubberg  (Armand).  Den  Biihnen  gegeniiber  Manuscript. 
Druck  von  Rich.  Trommer  in  Cassel. 

Strubberg's  inability  to  present  a  well-designed  plot  is  al 
ready  evident  in  his  novels,  where  pleasing  narrative,  wealth  of 
description,  and  detailed  accounts  of  Indian  and  American  cus 
toms  and  manners  make  up  for  this  loss  in  a  way.  Here,  how 
ever,  all  is  lacking.  In  Der  Freigeist  we  have  not  the  slightest 
framework  of  a  drama.  The  author  has  taken  up  the  free 
thought  idea,  brought  on  by  modern  scientific  investigations  and 
wishes  to  show  the  disasters  brought  on  by  one  who  no  longer 
believes  in  God.  Herr  Krantz  is,  on  account  of  his  unbelief,  dis- 


49  The  following  will  serve  as  illustrations:  Oxenstjerna:  Sein  Sie  will- 
kommen  uns,  Herr  Graf.  Act  I,  Sc.  2. 

Konigin:  Geduld? — Mein  Gustav,  ach  zu  schwer  ward  auf  die  Probe  sie 
gestellt.  Denk,  bald  zwei  Jahre  bliebst  du  fern  von  mir  und  mit  beklomm'- 
nem  Herz  empfing  ich  jede  Ktmde,  die  iiber  meine  ird'sche  Seligkeit,  den 
Liebsten  meiner  Seele,  mir  Nachricht  geben  sollte.  Act  I,  Sc.  7. 

60 The  dramatis  persona  are:  Commerzienrath  Moritz  Krantz,  Schreiner- 
meister  und  Bauunternehmer ;  Frau  Krantz,  dessen  Frau;  Anna  Krantz, 
deren  Tochter;  Assessor  Paul  Randorf,  Brautigam  der  Anna  Krantz;  Wal- 
ther,  Rentier,  Kirchenvorstand ;  Wolf,  Lohgerbermeister ;  Schraube,  Geld- 
makler;  Zabel,  Gerichtsvollzieher ;  Handwerker;  Mitglieder  der  Kirchenge- 
meinde. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  135 

missed  together  with  his  family  from  the  church  and  the  social 
club.  The  dialog  is  exceedingly  wordy  and  yet  develops  no  ap 
parent  ascending  action,  turning  point,  or  unravelling.  One 
might  say  it  is  a  play  that  moves  in  a  straight  line.  Herr  Krantz, 
the  unbeliever,  even  enters  upon  a  long  discussion  with  Walther, 
"der  Kirchenvorstand,"  concerning  the  latest  triumphs  of  scien 
tific  investigation,  in  which  Strubberg  puts  into  Walther's  mouth 
long  paragraphs  of  very  poor  and  unscientific  argumentation. 
Krantz,  on  account  of  his  disconnections  from  church  and  society, 
fails  in  business.  He  finally  returns  to  the  church  again  (one 
feels  it  is  rather  on  account  of  his  business  than  by  conviction), 
and  all  ends  well. 

Der  Freigeist  is  a  tract  rather  than  a  drama.  The  play  occu 
pies  47  pages,  and  would  hardly  take  more  than  an  hour  for  per 
forming. 

1885. — Die  Quadrone.51  Schauspiel  in  drei  Aufziigen,  neu  fur 
die  Biihne  bearbeitet  von  F.  A.  Strubberg  (Armand).  Cas- 
sel.  Im  Selbstverlag  des  Verfassers. 

This  is  the  author's  most  successful  dramatic  endeavor.  It 
is  natural  that  his  best  drama  should  be  that  in  which  he  employs 
material  with  which  he  was  well  acquainted.  His  dialog  is  vastly 
superior.  Also  he  has  given  in  Die  Quadrone  real  dramatic  con 
flict,  rising  action,  turning  point,  intense  dramatic  suspense,  and 
final  successful  unravelling. 

The  play  is  a  dramatization  of  his  novelette  Die  Quadrone. 
Crawford,  a  poor  planter,  is  financially  distressed  on  account  of 
his  poor  sandy  lands.  He  has  had  a  daughter  by  a  mulatto  slave. 
The  child  was,  however,  taken  up  by  Crawford's  legitimate  wife 
and  reared  as  her  own  daughter.  The  slave  dealer  Weston,  a 


"The  dramatis  persona  are:  Leonta,  Quadrone;  Crawford,  Vater  Leon- 
tas,  Pflanzer  an  der  Golfkiiste  von  Florida;  Frau  Crawford,  dessen  Gattin; 
Anna,  deren  Tochter;  Sam,  Crawford's  Sclave,  ein  Neger;  Lavallee,  Plan- 
tagenbesitzer  in  Louisiana;  Latone,  dessen  Sclavin,  eine  Negerin;  Morin, 
Colonel  genannt,  reicher  Kapitalist  in  New  Orleans;  Weston,  Sclavenhandler 
in  New  Orleans;  ein  Geschaftsfiihrer  Weston's;  Cato,  Neger,  Bob,  Neger, 
Ben,  Mulatte,  Weston's  Sclaven ;  Baxtor  Scherif;  Stockton,  Kapitan  des 
Dampfschiffes  "Albatross";  Frau  Stockton,  dessen  Gattin;  deren  Tochter- 
chen ;  Ort  der  Handlung :  Theils  an  der  Golfkiiste  von  Florida,  theils  in  New 
Orleans. 


136  Fried-rich  Armand  Strubbcrg 

hard  man,  visits  Crawford  and  is  stricken  with  the  girl's  comeli 
ness.  Knowing  Crawford's  financial  needs,  he  tempts  him  to  sell 
his  daughter.  Crawford  sells  Leonta  for  $9000.  She  is  by  stra 
tegy  led  on  board  a  vessel,  where  she  is  seized  and  put  in  a  cabin. 
Crawford  returns  to  the  house  and  announces  that  Leonta  has 
fallen  into  the  water  and  drowned.  Leonta,  frantic  with  despair, 
wiggles  out  of  the  small  cabin  window  into  the  water,  swims  to 
the  shore  and  escapes.  The  following  scene  shows  Leonta  pur 
sued  by  Weston's  hounds;  he  succeeds  in  recapturing  the  "gelbe 
Hexe"  and  takes  her  away.  A  scene  between  Crawford  and  his 
wife  follows,  in  which  the  latter  impresses  the  enormity  of  his 
crime  upon  her  husband.  Crawford  is  conscience-stricken  and 
attempts  to  buy  Leonta  back. 

In  the  second  act  Leonta  is  taken  to  the  house  of  the  slave- 
dealer  Weston.  Here  a  beautiful  gown  is  placed  on  Leonta,  and 
she  is  put  on  sale.  Morin,  a  mean  speculator,  having  heard  of 
the  famous  beauty  advertised  by  Weston,  calls  on  him  and  desires 
to  purchase  Leonta,  only  thinks  Weston's  price  of  $20,000  too 
high.  He  leaves  to  return  the  following  day,  having  asked  to 
remain  first  bidder.  Lavallee,  a  rich  and  philanthropic  planter 
from  Louisiana,  enters  and  purchases  Leonta,  simply  to  save  her 
from  the  immoral  Morin.  He  had  once  before  bought  a  slave 
for  the  same  reason.  Morin  enters  furious.  A  frecus  ensues 
between  Lavallee  and  Morin,  in  which  the  latter  falls.  Lavallee 
furnishes  Leonta  with  a  pleasant  house  and  treats  her  with  respect 
and  courtesy.  He  has  fallen  madly  in  love  with  her.  Though  she 
is  in  reality  his  possession,  his  sense  of  honor  does  not  permit 
him  to  take  advantage  of  her.  Leonta  hides  her  own  love  for 
him.  Lavallee,  in  despair  of  winning  her  love,  determines  to 
leave  her,  not,  however,  before  restoring  her  freedom  and  giving 
her  financial  securities.  Leonta,  however,  refuses  to  leave  him 
and  destroys  the  paper  that  gives  her  her  freedom.  She  reveals 
her  love.  Lavallee  is  enraptured,  resolves  to  marry  Leonta  and 
forsake  a  country  in  which  he  cannot  possess  a  quadroon  wife 
without  being  despised. 

In  the  third  act  Crawford,  Leonta's  father,  enters  with  a 
bag  of  gold,  and  Judas-like  begs  Lavallee  to  accept  this  sinful 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  137 

money  in  return  for  the  quadroon,  his  own  child.  Lavallee  in 
forms  Crawford  that  Leonta  is  free  and  no  one  has  any  power 
over  her.  Crawford  is  stricken  with  the  thought  that  Leonta  has 
chosen  to  be  LavalleVs  mistress.  Lavallee  then  makes  known  his 
intentions  of  taking  Leonta  to  Switzerland  as  his  wife.  The 
money  for  which  Leonta  was  sold  is  to  be  given  to  the  poor.  The 
play  ends  with  the  departure  of  Lavallee  and  Leonta  for  Switzer 
land. 

1886. — Leben  und  Tod  des  Kaisers  Friedrich  Barbarossa.** 
Schauspiel  in  vier  Aufziigen  von  F.  A.  Strubberg  (Ar- 
mand).  Hanau.  Druck  der  I.  G.  Kittsteiner'schen  Buch- 
druckerei. 

The  subject  for  this  last  work  was  probably  suggested  to 
the  aged  author  by  the  beautiful  red  sandstone  ruins  of  the  im 
perial  palace,  erected  by  Barbarossa  on  the  little  island  of  the 
Kinzig  in  Gelnhausen,  whither  Strubberg  had  retired  in  his  last 
years,  and  where  he  died.  The  play,  though  pleasing  in  its  en 
deavors,  bears  abundant  traces  of  the  author's  mistaken  faith  in 
his  dramatic  powers.53 

The  first  act  takes  place  partly  in  a  wood  near  Gelnhausen, 
partly  on  the  little  island  in  the  Kinzig.  Reclbeard,  while  on  the 
hunt,  is  lost  in  a  grove.  In  his  endeavors  to  find  his  way,  he  comes 
upon  Gela,  a  beautiful  peasant  girl,  asleep  under  a  tree.  Redbeard 
falls  in  love  with  Gela,  accompanies  her,  and  finds  shelter  for  the 
night  in  her  humble  cottage.  Redbeard  then  leaves  her  for  a  short 
time,  as  he  says.  We  are  reminded  strongly  of  Egmont  and 
Clarchen.  Strange  to  say  Redbeard  never  returns  to  Gela,  who 


"The  dramatis  persona  are:  Kaiser  Friedrich  der  Erste,  Barbarossa; 
Gela;  Kaiserin  Beatrice;  Ritter  Gremp  von  Freudenstein ;  Ritter  von  Sieben- 
eichen;  Ritter  von  Boyneburg;  Pfalzgraf  Otto  von  Wittelsbach;  Kanzler 
Rainald;  Erzbischof  Hartwich  von  Regensburg;  Erzbischof  Christian  von 
Mainz;  die  Kardinale  Roland,  Bernhard  und  Bernarda ;  Gpttin  Germania. 
Die  Aufztige  beginnen :  Erster  Aufzug  im  Jahre  1154.  Zweiter  Aufzug  im 
Jahre  1156.  Driter  Aufzug  im  Jahre  1174.  Vierter  Aufzug  im  ahre  1180. 

63  Herr  Franz  Berck  of  Gelnhausen  told  the  writer  that  Strubberg  while 
engaged  on  this  his  last  work,  anticipating  a  great  success,  exclaimed:  "Was 
wird  das  aber  ein  Radau  machen !" 


138  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

now  disappears  and  never  enters  the  play  again.  She  seems  to 
have  been  introduced  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  motivate  Red- 
beard's  building  of  the  castle  on  the  island  where  Gela's  hut 
stood. 

The  play,  without  much  consistency  of  plot  or  well-operated 
conflict,  sets  forth  Barbarossa's  difficulties  with  Herzog  von 
Braunschweig  (Heinrich  der  Loewe)  and  Herzog  von  Baben- 
berg.  To  appease  them  Redbeard  gave  Bavaria  to  Heinrich  der 
Loewe  and  the  Duchy  of  Austria  to  Babenberg.  Through  Bavaria 
Heinrich  became  so  powerful  that  he  plotted  against  Redbeard 
for  the  imperial  crown  and  thus  endeavored  to  frustrate  Red- 
beard's  attempt  to  unify  Germany. 

Friedrich  Barbarossa  had  failed  to  create  a  permanently 
united  Germany.  The  author  now  makes  use  of  the  Kyffhauser 
legend.  Scene  3  of  Act  IV  shows  us  a  vault  underneath  the  Kyff 
hauser  Burg.  In  the  middle  of  the  vault  sits  Kaiser  Friedrich 
"vor  einem  steinernen  Tische,  mit  der  goldenen  Krone  auf  dem 
Haupt  und  dem  Kaisermantel  um  seine  Schultern,  in  einem  ver- 
goldeten  Sessel  von  rothem  Sammt .  .  .  wahrend  sein  rother 
Bart  bis  auf  die  Erde  herabhangt.  Da  tritt  die  deutsche  Gottin 
Germania  von  der  rechten  Seite  langsam  und  feierlich  auf  die 
Biihne  und  bleibt  vor  Barbarossa  stehen.  .  .  ." 

We  are  reminded  of  Clarchen's  transfiguration  at  the  close 
of  Goethe's  Egmont.  Now  that  Barbarossa's  united  Germany  has 
at  last  come  to  realization  under  Wilhelm  I,  Barbarossa's  redemp 
tion  is  at  hand.  Germania  says  to  him :  "Die  Erlosungszeit  fur 
Dich  ist  nun  gekommen,  der  deutsche  Kaiserthron  ist  fur  die 
Ewigkeit  erbaut  mit  einer  eisenfesten  Stiitze,  stark  genug,  um 
eine  Welt  aus  ihren  Angeln  zu  heben."  An  angel  appears  and 
lays  a  laurel  wreath  upon  his  head.  Barbarossa  lifts  his  hands, 
then  closes  his  eyes  and  sinks  into  his  seat,  his  arms  falling 
powerless  by  his  side.  Barbarossa's  long  watch  is  at  an  end. 

An  early  comedy  by  Strubberg,  Der  Mann  ohne  Poesie,  only 
in  manuscript,  is  preserved  in  the  library  of  the  Royal  Theatre  in 
Cassel,  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  Norwald.  It  was  performed 
once  in  the  Royal  Theatre  in  1869. 


STRUBBERG'S  RESIDENCE  IN  GELNHAUSEN 


Friedrich  Annand  Strubberg  139 

APPENDIX. 
i.  A  CHRONOLOGICAL  LIST  OF  THE  EDITIONS  OF  STRUBBERG'S  WORKS. 

1858. — Amerikanische  Jagd-  und  Reiseabenteuer  aus  meinem  Leben 
in  den  ivestlichen  Indianergebieten.  Mit  24  vom  Verfasser  nach 
der  Natur  entworfenen  Skizzen  (Holzschn.).  Stuttgart,  1858. 
Cotta.  gr.  8.  (VI,  460  S.) 

2.  durchges.  Aufl.  gr.  8.     (VI,  376  S.)    Stuttgart,   1876. 

Cotta. 

3.  Aufl.  gr.  8.     (IV,  505  S.  m.  i  Farbenbild  u.  10  Tondr.- 

Bildern.)     Stuttgart,  1892.    Union. 

4.  Aufl.     Mit  i  Farbenbild  u.  16  Tondr.-Bildern.     gr.  8. 

(IV,  505  S.)     Stuttgart,  1901.    Union. 

1858.— Bis  in  die  Wildniss.  4  Bde.  Breslau,  1858.  E.  Trewendt. 
8.  (4  BL,  312;  3  BL,  343;  3  Bl.,  266;  3  Bl.,  264  S.) 

2.  Aufl.   Breslau,  1863.    Trewendt.  8.    (XXVI,  1140  S.) 
1859. — An  der  Indianergrenze,  oder  Treuer  Liebe  Lohn.     4  Bde. 
Hannover,  1859.    C.  Riimpler.    8.  (XXIV,  1092  S.) 

2.  Ausg.  in  Armand's  ausgezvahlte  Romane.     i.  Abtlg.    S. 
(i.  Bd.  408  S.  u.  2.  Bd.  384  S.)   Weimar,  1894.  Schrif- 
tenvertriebsanstalt. 
i8s9- — Alte  und  neue  Heimath.     Breslau,  1859.     E.  Trewendt.     8. 

(VII,  360  S.) 
1859. — Scenen  aus  den  Kampfen  der  Mexikaner  und  Nordamerika- 

ner.    Breslau.    E.  Trewendt.    8.    (287  S.) 
1860. — Ralph    Nonvood.     5    Bde.     Hannover.     C.    Riimpler.     8. 

(XXXVI,  1402  S.  u.  lith.  Portr.) 

1862. — Sclaverei  in  Amerika  oder  schwarzes  Blut.  3  Bde.  Hanno 
ver.  C.  Riimpler.  8.  (VIII,  865  S.) 

[This  work,  a  trilogy  on  the  negro  slave,  consists  of  the 
three  novels,  Die  Quadrone,  Die  Mulattin,  and  Die 
Negerin.] 

2.  Ausg.  d.  Quadrone  in  Armand's  ausgew'dhlte  Romane.  2. 
Abtlg.   2.  Bd.  (79  S.)     Berlin,  1895-1896.     Schriften- 
vertriebsanstalt. 
2.  Ausg.  d.  Mulattin.    8.     (224  S.)     Berlin,  1897.    Schrif- 

tenvertriebsanstalt. 

1863. — Carl  Scharnhorst.  Abenteuer  eines  deutschen  Knaben  in 
Amerika.  Mit  6  Bildern  in  Farbendr.  nach  Zeichnungen  von 
Aug.  Hengst.  Hannover.  C.  Riimpler.  8.  (VI,  318  S.) 

2.  Aufl.  Mit  8  Illustr.  (Holzschntaf.)  nach  Zeichngn.  v. 
E.  Forster.  gr.  8.  (IV,  312  S.)  Hannover.  C. 
Riimpler.  1872. 

Dasselbe.  Volksausgabe.  gr.  8.  (IV,  259  S.  m.  Holz 
schntaf.  Ebend.  1872. 


140  Friedrich  Armand  Strubbcrg 

j.  Aufl.    Mit  6  Farbendr.-Bildern  nach  Aquarellen  v.  Off- 

terdinger.     (IV,  268  S.)     Kassel,  1887. 
5.  Aufl.    M.  6  Buntbild.  v.  Offterdinger,  u.  5  Holzschn.  v. 
Ch.  Forster.    gr.  8.    (272  S.)    Leipzig,  1898.    Abel  u. 
Miiller. 

6.-8.  Aufl.  Mit  6  Buntbildern  v.  Offterdinger  u.  5  Holzschn. 
v.  Ch.  Forster.  gr.  8.  (272  S.)  Leipzig,  1900-1902. 
Abel  u.  Miiller. 

jo.  Aufl.    Mit  6  Buntbildern  v.  Offterdinger,  u.  4  Holzschn. 
v.  Ch.  Forster  (272  S.)    gr.  8.  Leipzig,  1905.    Abel  u. 
Miiller. 
1864. — Der  Sprung  vom  Niagarafalle.    4  Bde.    Hannover.   Schmorl 

und  v.  Seefeld.    8.     (XXIV,  1117  S.) 
1865.— In  Mexiko.    4  Bde.    Hannover.    8.    (XVI,  1013  S.) 

2.  Ausg.     8.    (341  S.)     Berlin,  1898.     Schriftenvertriebs- 

anstalt. 
1866. — Saat  und  Ernie.     In  Album.  Bibliothek  deutscher  Original- 

Romane.    Bde.  9-13.    21.  Jahrgang.  (934  S.) 
1867. — Aus  Armand' s  Frontierleben.    3  Bde. 

2.    Ausg.     Hannover,    1868.     C.    Riimpler.     8.     (XXIV, 

753  S.) 

1867. — Friedrichsburg,  die  Colonie  des  deutschen  Fursten-Vereins 

in  Texas.    2  Bde.    Leipzig.    F.  Fleischer.    8.     (XVII,  469  S.) 

1868. — In  Siid-Carolina  und  auf  dem  Schlachtfelde   von    Langen- 

salza.    4  Bde.    Hannover.    C.  Riimpler.    8.     (12  Bll.,  911  S.) 
1869. — Der  Mann  ohne  Poesie.    Ein  Lustspiel. 

[The  ms.  of  this  unpublished  play  is  to  be  found  in  the 
Library  of  the  Royal  Theatre  in  Kassel,  under  the  pen- 
name  of  Norwald.] 

1870. — Der  Krosus  von  Philadelphia.    4  Bde.    Hannover.    C.  Riimp 
ler.    8.     (10708.) 

2.  Ausg.  in  Armand' s  ausge^vahUe  Romane.  3.  Abtlg.  2 
Bde.  (351  u.  326  S.)  Weimar,  1895.  Verlag  der 
Schri  f  tenvertriebsanstalt. 

1872.—  Die  Filrstentochter.    3  Bde.    8.    (249,  212  u.  203  S.)     Han 
nover.    C.  Riimpler. 

i%j2. — Die  alte  spanische  Urkunde.     2  Bde.     8.     (275  u.  258  S.) 
Hannover.    C.  Rumpler. 

2.  Ausg.  in  Armand' s  ausgewdhlte  Romane.  2.  Abtlg.  2 
Bde.  (171  u.  165  S.)  'Berlin,  1895-1896.  Schriften- 
vertriebsanstalt. 

1873. — Der  Methodist en-Geistliche.    Eine  Erz'dhlung  aus  dem  ame- 
rikanischen  Leben.    In  Interessante  Gestalten.  Bibliothek  neuer 
Romane  und  Erzahlungen.     Bd.  3.     Prag. 
. — Zwei  Lcbenswege.     Mit  4  Illustr.  in  Farbendr.  u.  Kartchen 
(Holzschn.)   8.   (2368.)   Prag.  Verlag  der  Bohemia. 
Wohlfeile  Ausg.  8.    (236  S.)    Ebend.    1874. 


Fried-rich  Arniand  Strubberg  141 

1875. — Die  geraubten  Kinder.  Eine  Erz'dhlung  aus  Texas  fiir  die 
Jugend.  Mit  4  Bildern  in  lith.  Farbendr.  v.  H.  Biirkner.  8. 
(IV,  294  S.)  Breslau.  E.  Trewendt. 

1878. — Vornehm  und  Burgerlich.  [Vom  i.  Oktober  bis  7.  Dezem- 
ber  im  Feuilleton  der  Kref elder  Zeitung  erschienen.] 

1882. — Gustav  Adolf.  Trauerspiel  in  5  Aufziigen.  Kassel.  Druck 
von  Richard  Trommer. 

1883. — Der  Freigeist.  Schauspiel  in  3  Aufziigen.  gr.  8.  (47  S.) 
Kassel.  (Hiihn.) 

1885. — Die  Quadrone.  Schauspiel  in  3  Aufziigen,  neu  fiir  die 
Biihne  bearbeitet.  gr.  8.  (76  S.)  Kassel.  (Kessler.) 

1886. — Leben  und  Tod  des  Kaisers  Friedrich  Barbarossa.  Schau 
spiel  in  4  Aufziigen.  Hanau.  Druck  der  I.  G.  Kittsteiner'schen 
Buckdruckerei. 


2.    LETTERS. 

[These  letters  are  in  the  possession  of  a  cousin  of  the  author, 
Herr  Julius  Thorbecke,  of  Firma  Thorbecke,  Mannheim.] 

Gelnhausen,  den  8.  April  1887. 
Verehrter  lieber  Herr  Vetter ! 

Ihr  so  sehr  freundliches  Entgegenkommen  auf  meinen  Ihnen 
ausgesprochnen  Wunsch  hat  mich  offen  und  ehrlich  gestanden  in 
dieser  Zeit  der  Selbstsucht  und  des  Eigenutzes  recht  freudig  be- 
riihrt  und  spreche  ich  Ihnen  meinen  aufrichtigsten  Dank  fiir  die  mir 
dadurch  gemachte  Freude  aus. 

Die  Erfiillung  meiner  Bitte  war  schon  durch  die  giitige  t)ber- 
sendung  der  Cigaretten  vollstandig  vollzogen  und  hat  die  Zahlung 
dafiir  gar  nichts  mehr  mit  der  Erfiillung  meiner  Bitte  zu  thun,  wes- 
halb  ich  Sie  nochmals  mit  den  Ersuchen  belastigen  muss  mir  den 
Preis  fiir  die  iibersandte  Waare  anzugeben  damit  ich  Ihnen  den 
Betrag  mit  meinem  besten  Danke  iibermachen  kann.  Zu  gleicher 
Zeit  bitte  ich  Sie  nochmals  mir  von  einigen  Ihren  besten  Cigaret 
ten  von  wirklichen  tiirkischen  Tabak  zu  iibersenden,  damit  ich  zwi- 
schen  durch  auch  etwas  ganz  gutes  zu  rauchen  habe.  Dagegen  hoffe 
ich,  dass  es  in  meiner  Macht  steht  Ihnen  die  erwiinschte  Auskiinfte 
iiber  unsere  Familien  zu  geben,  die  mit  meinem  Tode  sonst  in  keines 
Menschen  Besitz  mehr  sein  wiirden.  Dabei  kann  ich  wohl  behaup- 
ten,  dass  nur  wenige  Familien  existieren  an  welche  sich  so  hochst 
interessante  Nachrichten  kniipfen  wie  an  die  unserigen.  Dahin  ge- 
horen  unsere  nahen  Verwandtschafts-Verhaltnisse  zu  dem  hessischen 
Fiirstenhause,  indem  der  Vater  unserer  Urgrossmutter  der  geborenen 
Grafin  Wilmsdorf-Brevendorf,  der  Landgraf  Friedrich  I.  von  Hes- 
sen  spatere  Konig  von  Schweden  war.  Darum  wandten  sich  die 
Kurhessischen  Agnaten  der  jiingere  Linie  von  Hessen  Philipsthal 
an  mich  urn  ihre  Rechte  an  ihren  Familien-Fideikommiss  im  Wer- 


142  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

the  von  cr.  100  Millionen  Thaler  gegen  die  preussische  Wegnahme 
in  1866  zu  verteidigen.  Ich  zahlte  damals  zu  einen  der  ersten  Arzte 
Amerikas,  war  aber  nie  in  meinem  Leben  Jurist  gewesen.  Trotz 
dieser  Einwendung  liessen  die  Agnaten  nicht  davon  ab,  mich  mit 
ihren  Bitten  zu  bestiirmen,  ihre  Rechte  gegen  Preussen  zu  verteidi 
gen,  worauf  ich  endlich  mich  der  schwierigen  Aufgabe  unterzog 
und  wahrend  vierzehn  Jahren  den  Prozess  fur  dieselben  ohne  irgend 
welchen  Rechtsbeistand  gegen  Preussen  fiihrte  bis  im  Jahre  1881 
Preussen  die  Angelegenheit  durch  einen  Vergleich  zu  Ende  brachte. 
Ich  habe  aber  nicht  nur  die  Nachweise  iiber  solche  Beziehungen  in 
meinen  Handen,  ich  habe  aber  auch  sehr  wertvolle  treue,  seit  Jahr- 
hunderten  in  unserer  Familie  aufbewahrte  Olbilder  in  meinem  Be- 
sitz,  welche  die  Reprasentanten  unserer  beiden  Familien  in  eisernen 
Riistungen,  in  gepuderten  Lockenperriicken,  in  goldgestickter  zino- 
berroter  Gallakleidung  u.  s.  w.  darstellen,  und  welche  bei  Nachfor- 
schungen  iiber  Familiengeschichten  von  sehr  grossem  Werte  sind. 
Ich  glaube,  dass  es  in  vorliegenden  Fallen  fur  Sie  vom  aller  grossten 
Interesse  sein  wiirde,  wenn  Sie  die  wenigen  Meilen  zu  fahren  nicht 
scheuen  wollen,  um  mich  hier  zu  besuchen  und  die  Nachweise  iiber 
unsere  Familien  von  mir  personlich  entgegen  zu  nehmen.  Fur  die- 
sen  Fall  bitte  ich,  mich  von  Ihrem  Beschluss  zu  benachrichtigen,  da- 
mit  ich  alles  zu  Ihrer  Instruktion  Notige  in  Bereitschaft  zu  halten 
im  Stande  bin.  Sie  sind  ohne  Zweifel  ein  Nachkomme  von  meinem 
Vetter  August  Thorbecke,  welcher  in  Sachsen-Meiningen  eine  Ta- 
bakfabrik  besass  und  mir  personlich  befreundet  war. 

Indem  ich  meine  Bitte  noch  einmal  wiederhole,  mir  den  Betrag 
meiner  Schuld  an  Sie  anzugeben  und  mir  gelegentlich  einige  kleine 
Proben  von  Ihren  besten  Cigaretten  zu  iibersenden  griisse  ich  Sie 
mit  aufrichtig  verwandschaftlichen  Gefiihlen  als, 

Ihr  treuer  Vetter, 

F.  A.  Strubberg. 
(Schriftsteller  Armand.) 

Ps.  Landgraf  Friedrich  I.  von  Hessen  geb.  den  28.  April  1676 
vermahlt  mit  Prinzess  yon  Brandenburg,  dieselbe  starb  1705.  Land 
graf  wieder  (morganatisch)  verehelicht  mit  der  Witwe  des  hollandi- 
schen  Generals  Wilmsdorf-Brevendorf  1717,  diese  Ehe  aufgelost  im 
Jahre  1720  wo  der  Landgraf  sich  mit  der  Konigin  von  Schweden 
vermahlte  und  selbst  den  schwedischen  Thron  bestieg.  Aus  der 
Ehe  des  Landgrafen  mit  der  Witwe  des  Generals  von  Wilmsdorf 
entsprang  eine  Tochter,  Anna  Amalie  (die  schone  genannt).  Diese 
Tochter  des  Landgrafen  verheiratete  sich  mit  dem  Domanenrat  zu 
Cleve  Chr.  Heinrich  Strubberg  im  Jahre  1741.  Dieser  Domanenrat 
Chr.  Heinrich  Strubberg  war  der  jiingste  Sohn  des  zu  Berglohe  ge- 
borenen  Johann  Rudolph  Strubberg,  welcher  als  Untertan  in  Rhein- 
berg  bei  Minden,  den  25.  April  1736,  starb.  Ich  bemerke  Ihnen, 
dass  ich  in  den  Familiennachrichten  aus  Osnabriick,  welche  ich 
Ihnen  gleich falls  zur  Ansicht  beilege,  mit  Rotstift  mehrere  Andeu- 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  143 

tungen  geschrieben  habe,  unter  welchen  die  auf  vorletzter  Seite  ge- 
machten  Zeichen  auch  die  Familie  Thorbecke  speziell  beriihrt,  was 
Ihnen  vielleicht  von  Interesse  sein  kann.  Wenn  ich  mich  recht  ent- 
sinne,  so  haben  Sie  mir  friiher  auch  einmal  sich  iiber  Nachrichten 
iiber  den  Kommerzienrat  Strubberg  bei  mir  befragt  und  wenn  dem 
so  ist,  so  will  ich  Ihnen  bemerken,  dass  dieser  Kommerzienrat  Strub 
berg  der  Vater  von  Ihrer  Grossmutter  war,  welchen  Sie  auch  in 
dem  Stammbaum  aufgefiihrt  finden.  Sollten  Sie  nach  Durchsicht 
der  beifolgenden  Urkunde  vielleicht  noch  Fragen  an  mich  zu  stellen 
haben,  so  bitte  ich,  nur  dieses  zu  tun  und  werde  ich  nach  besten 
Kraft  en  Ihre  Fragen  beantworten. 

Fur  heute  will  ich  diesen  Bericht  schliessen  und  nun  nochmals 
meine  herzlichsten  Griisse  an  Sie  und  an  die  lieben  Ihrigen  hinzu- 
fiigen. 

Mit  treu  verwandschaftlichen.  [Gefiihlen  und  aufrichtiger 
Hochschatzung  sehe  ich  Ihren  freundlichen.]  Nachrichten  weiter 
entgegen  und  bleibe. 

Mit  aufrichtiger  Freudschaft, 

Ihr  treuer  Vetter, 

F.  A.  Strubberg. 

Gemhausen,  den  27.  August  1887. 

Mein  geliebter  geehrter  Vetter ! 

Vergebens  habe  ich  nun  seit  langerer  Zeit  auf  ein  Lebenszeichen 
von  Ihnen  gehofft  und  namentlich  versprochenermassen  Ihrem  per- 
sonlichen  Erscheinen  bei  mir  entgegen  gesehen.  In  beiden  Hoff- 
nungen  bin  ich  aber  getauscht  worden  und  wenn  mich  nicht  mein 
hohes  Alter  und  eine  sehr  ernste  Krankheit  zuriickgehalten  hatte, 
so  wiirde  ich  schon  langst  bei  Ihnen  gewesen  sein,  um  Sie  personlich 
kennen  zu  lernen.  Da  ich  nun  selbst  nicht  kommen  kann,  so  sende 
ich  Ihnen  inliegend  ein  Bild  von  mir,  welches  vor  vier  Jahren  vor 
meiner  Krankheit  gemacht  ist  und  auf  welchem  mein  Barthaar 
noch  schwarz  erscheint,  wahrend  jetzt  nach  dem  langen  schweren 
Leiden,  welches  ich  wahrend  meiner  Krankheit  getragen  habe,  mein 
Barthaar  den  Schnee  des  Winters  angenommen  hat,  wobei  aber  das 
Herz  jung  geblieben  ist.  Mit  einem  Alter  von  81  Jahren  und  mit 
einer  bewegten  ungewohnlichen  Vergangenheit  wie  die  meinige  aber, 
habe  ich  keine  Ursache  zur  Klage  und  wenn  mich  der  Himmel  nur 
vor  zu  grossen  Schmerzen  bewahrt,  so  bin  ich  schon  zufrieden.  Nun 
aber  mochte  ich  doch  vor  meinem  Scheiden  aus  der  Welt,  Sie  lieben 
Vetter,  als  einen  meiner  nachsten  Verwandten  personlich  kennen 
lernen,  zumal,  da  Ihr  seeliger  Herr  Vater  mir  recht  befreundet  war, 
wie  dieses  nun  am  besten  geschehen  kann,  bin  ich  nicht  im  Stande  zu 
beurteilen,  und  muss  dies  Ihrem  Ermessen  allein  iiberlassen,  wozu 
ich  Sie  mit  aufrichtiger  Innigkeit  bitte,  bei  mir  abzusteigen  und  bei 
mir  zu  wohnen,  so  lange  es  Ihnen  bei  mir  gefallt.  Wir  haben  sehr 
viele  Familien-Angelegenheiten  miteinander  zu  bereden,  wozu  ich 


144  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

vieles  Material  in  Handen  habe,  ich  Besitze  auch  unter  anderem  sehr 
schone  Bilder  von  Ihrer  Grossmutter,  sowie  von  Ihrer  Grosstante 
und  Grossonkel,  die  Sie  sehr  interessiren  werden  und  die  ich  Ihnen, 
wenn  Sie  es  wiinschen,  als  Familien-Kleinodien  gerne  zum  Anden- 
ken  verehren  wiirde.  Andere  Bilder  von  grossem  Familienwerte, 
weder  ich  meinem  Vetter,  Seiner  Excellenz  dem  General  Otto  von 
Strubberg  in  Berlin,  nach  meinem  Tode  iiberlassen.  Da  er  nach 
mir,  unser  Familienhaupt  sein  wird.  Unter  diesen  Bildern  befindet 
sich  auch  unser  altester  Ahnherr,  der  Landgraf  Friedrich  I.  von 
Hessen,  sowie  dessen  Tochter,  die  schone  Amalie,  welche  morgana- 
tisch  mit  einer  Grafin  Wilms-Dorf  verheiratet  war  und  welche 
sich  mit  einem  Strubberg  verehelichte.  Ich  bitte  nun,  mich  baldigst 
wissen  zu  lassen,  ob  Sie  mich  mit  Ihrer  Bekanntschaft  erfreuen 
wollen  und  mir  die  Zeit  zu  nennen,  zu  welcher  Sie  mir  diese  Freude 
bereiten  wollen.  In  dieser  Hoffnung,  die  gewiinschte  Nachricht  von 
Ihnen  recht  bald  zu  erhalten  bleibe  ich,  mit  den  herzlichsten  Ver- 
wandtschaftsgefiihlen  mein  lieber  Vetter, 

Ihr  aufrichtig  ergebener, 

F.  A.  Strubberg. 

Ps. — Tonnies  Strubberg  geb.  zu  Borglohe  im  Stifte  Osnabriick 
in  der  Mitte  der  Jahre  1500. 

Johann  Rudolph  Strubberg  geb.  1654  zu  Borglohe,  gest.  den 
25.  April  1736  zu  Drehtlee  bei  Ltibbecke,  Amtmann  des  Amtes 
Rheineberg  bei  Minden,  dessen  Frau  Anna  Eliesabeth  Hedwig  Strub 
berg  geb.  1666,  gest.  den  24.  Juni  1746  zu.Lingen.  Landgraf  Frie 
drich  I.  von  Hessen  vermahlte  sich  in  morganatischer  Ehe  im  Jahre 
1703,  wahrend  des  spanischen  Erbfolgekrieges  in  Holland,  mit  der 
Witwe  des  in  der  Schlacht  bei  Hochstadt  gebliebenen  Generals  Gra- 
fen  Wilmsdorff-Brevensdorf. 

Aus  dieser  Ehe  war  eine  Tochter,  die  sogenannte  schone  Anna 
Amalie,  erstanden,  welche  sich  mit  dem  Konigl.  Domanenrat  Chris 
tian  Heinrich  Strubberg  verheirathete,  aus  welcher  Ehe  der  alteste 
Sohn  Friedrich  Rudolph  Strubberg,  Kommerzienrat  in  Emmerich, 
entsprang.  Christian  Heinrich  Strubberg,  geb.  den  28.  Juni  1710, 
gest.  1795,  als  Konigl.  Domanenrat,  dessen  Frau  Anna  Amalie 
Strubberg,  geborene  Grafin  von  Wilmsdorrf-Brevendorf,  die  Toch 
ter  des  Landgraf  en  Friedrich  I.  und  der  Witwe  des  Generals  Graf  en 
Wilmsdorff-Brevendorf,  geborene  von  Michgarius. 

Aus  der  Ehe  des  Domanenrats  Christian  Heinrich  Strubberg 
entsprang  der  alteste  Sohn  Friedrich  Rudolf,  geb.  den  9.  Marz  1742, 
gest.  den  31.  Oktober  1824,  als  Kommerzienrat  in  Emmerich,  des 
sen  Frau  war  eine  geborene  Emilie  Cordesse. 

Aus  dieser  Ehe  entsprang  der  alteste  Sohn  der  Tabakfabrikant 
in  Kassel,  Heinrich  Friedrich  Strubberg,  geb.  den  6.  September 
1762,  gest.  den  14.  Marz  1843. 

Das  zweite  Kind,  eine  Tochter,  aus  der  Ehe,  Anna  Elisabeth, 
heiratete  Andreas  Heinrich  Thorbecke. 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  145 

Weitere  Kinder  aus  dieser  Ehe  waren  Jakob  Strubberg,  geb.  den 
5.  August  1730,  gest.  zu  Liibbecke,  den  27.  Juni  1816,  Hauptmann 
in  preussischem  Dienste,  Adelaide  verheiratet  mit  einem  Herrn  Clig- 
nett,  Lambert  gest.  in  der  hollandischen  Colonie  Temerarie,  Wilhel- 
mine  gest.  und  verehelicht  zu  Cassel. 


Gelnhausen,  den  12.  November  1887. 

Mein  verehrter  lieber  Vetter! 

Da  bin  ich  nun  wieder  eine  lange  Zeit  mit  Ihren  vortrefflichen 
Cigaretten  versehen,  doch  leider  fehlt  mir  noch  Ihre  Rechnung  da- 
riiber,  wodurch  Sie  mich  abermals  in  Verlegenheit  setzen.  Die 
Probe-Cigaretten,  die  Sie  beige ftigt  haben,  sind  wirklich  etwas  ganz 
ausgezeichnetes  und  werde  ich  Sonntags  und  wenn  ich  bei  guter 
Laune  bin,  mich  an  denselben  laben  und  Ihrer  dabei  mit  vetterlicher 
Liebe  freundlich  gedenken.  Nun  fehlt  mir  aber  noch  immer  eine 
briefliche  Nachricht  von  Ihnen  auf  die  ich  mit  Spannung  warte,  um 
zu  erfahren,  ob  meine  Mitteilungen  iiber  unsere  Familien-Angele- 
genheiten  Ihnen  von  einigem  Nutzen  gewesen  sind.  Sollten  Sie  noch 
in  irgend  einer  Weise  eine  Erganzung  davon  wunschen,  so  bitte  ich, 
mich  die  Punkte  wissen  zu  lassen,  worauf  sich  dieser  Ihr  Wunsch 
bezieht.  Ich  bitte  auch,  in  Ihrem  nachsten  Schreiben  mich  gefl.  wis 
sen  zu  lassen,  ob  Ihnen  an  dem  Besitz  der  drei  Bilder,  welche  Sie 
bei  mir  sahen,  etwas  gelegen  sind,  damit  ich  Ihnen  dieselben  wohl 
verpackt  zusenden  kann.  Ich  meine  namlich:  Die  drei  Bilder  von 
Ihrer  Grossmutter  Eliesabeth,  deren  Schwester  Minimi  und  deren 
Bruder,  meinem  seligen  Vater  als  Jungling.  Das  Bild  meines  seligen 
Vaters  als  Jungling  hat  fur  mich  kein  besonderes  Interesse,  aber 
namentlich  nicht,  fur  meine  demnachsten  Erben,  weil  ich  ein  so 
vortreffliches  5lbild  von  ihm  in  seinem  kraftigen  Mannesalter  besitze. 

Lassen  Sie  mich  recht  bald  etwas  von  Ihnen  horen,  empfehlen 
Sie  mich  Ihrem  Herrn  Bruder  recht  herzlich  und  seien  Sie  mit  vet 
terlicher  Liebe  begrtisst  von  Ihrem  ergebenen  Vetter 

F.  A.  Strubberg. 


Gelnhausen,  den  21.  November  1887. 

Geehrter  lieber  Herr  Vetter ! 

Herzlichen  Dank  fur  Ihre  lieben  Zeilen  vom  17.  ds.  Mts.  Es 
hat  mich  gefreut,  von  Ihnen  zu  horen,  dass  Ihnen  der  Besitz  der  drei 
Familienbilder  erfreulich  ist  und  bemerke  ich  Ihnen,  dass  Sie  ganz 
recht  hatten,  wenn  Sie  die  eine  Dame  mit  den  Perlen  im  Haar  als 
Ihre  Grossmutter,  die  Schwester  meines  Vaters  erraten  haben. 

Was  die  Ihnen  noch  fehlenden  Daten  an  dem  Stammbaum  be- 
trifft,  so  ware  es  gut,  wenn  Sie  mir  bald  die  Fragen  dariiber  stellten, 


146  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg 

indem  ich  in  hohem  Alter  stehe  und  sehr  leidend  bin.  Bei  dieser 
Gelegenheit,  will  ich  mir  noch  erlauben,  Sie  um  Beantwortung 
einer  Frage  zu  ersuchen,  wodurch  Sie  mich  sehr  verbinden  werden. 

In  der  Zeit,  in  welcher  ich  in  dem  Prozesse  der  hessischen  Ag- 
naten  fur  die  Prinzen  tatig  war,  war  ich  genotigt,  zwei  sehr  bedeu- 
tende,  grosse  Olbilder  mit  grossem  Kostenaufwand  an  mich  zu  brin- 
gen,  deren  Besitz  mir  nach  Beendigung  des  Prozesses  von  keinem 
Wert  mehr  war.  Das  eine  ist  in  achter  Correggio,  das  andere,  von 
dem  jetzt  bedeutendsten  Maler  Mentzlei  in  Miinchen,  gleichfalls  eine 
Perle  und  weiss  ich  nicht,  ob  ich  Ihnen  bei  Ihrem  Hiersein  diese  bei- 
den  Bilder  sehen  liess. 

Ich  wiinsche  nun  vor  meinem  Ende,  iiber  diese  beiden  Bilder  zu 
verfiigen  und  wiirde  ich,  wenn  unsere  lieben  Verwandten  Artaria 
noch  existirten  sehr  bald  diesen  meinen  Wunsch  erfiillt  sehen.  Da 
dieses  nun  aber  nicht  der  Fall  ist,  so  fragen  Sie  lieber  Herr  Vetter, 
welche  Kunsthandlung  in  die  Stelle  der  Artaria  getreten  ist,  damit 
ich  mich  an  dieselbe  zur  Erfiillung  meines  Wunsches  wenden  kann. 
Konnen  Sie  mir  in  dieser  Angelegenheit  eine  Auskunft  erteilen,  so 
werden  Sie  mich  dadurch  recht  zu  Dank  verpflichten.  Hirer  giitigen 
Antwort  entgegensehend,  bleibe  ich  mit  aufrichtiger  Verehrung 
Ihr  treu  ergebener  Vetter 

F.  A.  Strubberg. 


Gelnhausen,  den  26.  November  1887. 

Verehrter  lieber  Herr  Vetter ! 

Besten  Dank  fur  Ihre  gutigen  Zeilen  vom  24.  ds.  Mts.  Was  un- 
seren  Stammbaum  anbetriiit,  so  werde  ich  ihn  morgen  noch  einmal 
durchgehen  und  Ihnen  denselben  dann  nebst  meinen  Bemerkungen 
zur  Durchsicht  iibersenden.  Was  nun  meine  Frage  iiber  die  Fa- 
milie  Artaria  anbetrifft,  so  hatte  dieselbe  folgendes  Interesse  fur 
mich.  Ich  weiss  nicht,  ob  es  Ihnen  bekannt  geworden  ist,  dass  ich 
in  dem  Prozesse  der  hessischen  Agnaten  gegen  den  preussischen 
Phiskus  tatig  gewesen  bin,  in  welchen  Arbeiten  es  damals  von  Wich- 
tigkeit  war,  emige  sehr  wertvolle  Olbilder  in  meinen  Besitz  zu  be- 
kommen,  was  mir  auch  gelang.  Das  eine  der  Bilder  reprasentiert 
die  Jo  im  Bade  mit  Jupiter  als  Wolke  von  Correggio  ein  sehr  wert- 
volles  Bild.  Das  andere  Bild :  Die  erwachende  Liebe  als  eine  Venus 
mit  Amor  spielend,  von  dem  jetzt  in  Miinchen  lebenden  Meister 
Herrn  Mentzlei,  einem  der  ersten  dortigen  Maler.  Beide  Bilder 
sind  sehr  wertvoll,  doch  habe  ich  seit  Beendigung  des  Prozesses  kein 
Interesse  mehr  an  dem  Besitz  derselben,  und  wiinsche,  sie  an  eine 
wiirdige  Kunsthandlung  zu  verkaufen.  Wahrend  meiner  Tatigkeit 
in  jenem  Prozesse  erinnere  ich  mich,  dass  ein  Karl  Fr.  Fleischer  in 
Leipzig  sehr  viel  mit  unseren  Freunden  Artaria  arbeitete,  wer  aber 
das  Geschaft  derselben  iibernommen  hat,  ist  mir  nicht  bekannt.  Ich 


Fried-rich  Arniand  Strubberg  147 

erinnere  mich  nicht,  ob  ich  Ihnen  bei  Ihrem  lieben  Besuche,  hier,  die 
beiden  Bilder  gezeigt  habe  oder  nicht. 

Morgen  also  gehe  ich  an  die  Revision  des  Stammbaumes,  und 
schicke  Ihnen  denselben  dann  ein.  Mit  meinen  herzlichsten  Griissen 
an  Sie  und  Ihren  lieben  Bruder,  sowie  unbekannter  Weise  an  Ihre 
Frau  Gemahlin  bleibe  ich 

Mit  aufrichtigster  Freundschaft 

Ihr  treu  ergebener 

F.  A,  Strubberg. 


Gelnhausen,  den  3.  Dezember  1887. 

Verehrter  lieber  Herr  Vetter ! 

Soeben  empfing  ich  Ihre  lieben  Zeilen  vom  I.  ds.  Mts.  und  sage 
Ihnen  meinen  besten  Dank  dafiir. 

Dass  das  Osnabriicker  Heft  fur  Sie  ein  grosses  Interesse  hat, 
habe  ich  bei  dem  erblicken  Ihres  Namens  bemerkt,  doch  ein  eben- 
sogrosses  Interesse  hat  dasselbe  fur  Strubberg,  indem  in  demselben 
die  Heirat  eines  Strubberg  mit  der  Anna  Amalie,  Grafin  von  Wilms- 
dorf  ausdrikklich  geschrieben  steht,  und  diese  Amalie,  die  soge- 
nannte  schone  Amalie,  die  Tochter  der  Witwe  des  Generals  Grafen 
von  Wilmsdorf-Brevendorf  ist,  welche  in  morganatischer  Ehe  mit 
dem  Landgrafen  Friedrich  I.  von  Hessen  verheiratet  war.  Diese 
schone  Amalie,  Grafin  von  Wilmsdorf-Brevensdorf  verlebte  Ihr 
Alter  bei  dem  Vater  von  Ihrer  Grossmutter  des  Kommerzienrats 
Strubberg  und  hiess  in  der  Familie  die  Oje-Prinzess,  von  welcher 
eine  Menge  Juwelen  mit  hessischen  Emblemen  der  Familie  Strub 
berg  hinterliess  und  von  welchen  meine  Schwester  noch  eine  grosse 
Zahl  bessessen  hat.  Die  Kinder  des  Kommerzienrats  Strubberg 
wurden  regelmassig  am  Sonntagmorgen  zu  der  alten  Prinzessin  ge- 
fiihrt  und  bei  ihr  zum  Handkuss  zugelassen.  Die  beiden  schonen 
Olbilder  der  Amalie,  welche  Sie  bei  mir  gesehen  haben,  sind  ein  paar 
Meisterwerke  erster  Art.  Was  nun  das  Heftchen  von  Osnabriick 
betrifft,  so  werde  ich  Ihnen  dasselbe,  wie  Sie  es  wiinschen  verma- 
chen,  wahrend  ich  dasselbe  bis  zu  meinem  Ende  selbst  in  meinem 
Besitz  behalten  werde.  Wegen  der  beiden  Bilder,  die  Sie  auch  bei 
mir  sahen,  und  welche  sich  nur  fur  eine  Gallerie  eignen,  werde  ich 
Ihnen  recht  dankbar  sein,  wenn  Sie  mir  einen  Kunsthandler  zusenden 
wollten,  weil  ich  dieselben  noch  vor  meinem  Tode  verkaufen  will. 

Sie  sagen,  Sie  kennen  leider  die  Berliner  nicht  von  denen  ich 
gesprochen  hatte,  ich  erinnere  mich  aber  dieser  Unterhaltung  nicht 
und  bitte  sie,  mir  weiteres  dariiber  zu  sagen. 

Ihren  weiteren  Mitteilungen  gerne  entgegensehend,  bleibe  ich 
mit  herzlichen  Griissen, 

Ihr  treuer  aufrichtiger  Vetter 

F.  A.  Strubberg. 


148  Frledrich  Armand  Strubberg 

3.    Two  EPISODES. 

[The  following  narrative  is  taken  from  W.  Bennecke's  article 
Aus  Armand's  Leben  in  Nrs.  9  and  ip  of  Hessenland,  Kassel,  May, 
1889.  It  speaks  of  Strubberg's  relations  with  Louis  Napoleon  and 
with  the  poet  Heine.  His  relations  with  the  latter  are  to  the  knowl 
edge  of  the  writer  to  be  found  in  no  Heine  literature  and  may  there 
fore  be  of  special  interest.] 

"Ich  lernte  Armand  im  Jahre  1866  kennen  und  der  erste  Abend, 
welchen  ich  mit  ihm  in  einer  Theegesellschaft  verbrachte,  wird  mir 
unvergesslich  sein,  da  er  bei  vortrefflicher  Laune  war  und  seinem 
Erzahlertalent  die  Ziigel  schiessen  Hess.  Er  sprach,  wie  man  zu 
sagen  pflegt,  frei  von  der  Leber,  seine  Rede  mit  lebhaftem  Mienen- 
spiel  und  Gestikulationen  begleitend,  dabei  die  ungeheuerlichsten  Be- 
gebenheiten  mit  der  grossten  Kaltbliitigkeit  bis  ins  Detail  ausmalend. 
Es  war  trotzdem  aber  ein  Vergniigen,  ihm  zuzuhoren,  denn  der 
Zweifel,  der  hin  und  wieder  an  der  Thatsachlichkeit  des  Mitgetheil- 
ten  auftauchen  konnte,  kam  bei  der  virtuosen  Manier,  mit  welcher 
Armand  seine  Erzahlungen  zur  Geltung  brachte,  nur  wenig  in  Be- 
tracht.  "Mit  Louis  Napoleon/  so  erzahlte  er  u.  A.,  "war  ich  eng 
befreundet,  er  liebte  mich,  obgleich  ich  ihn  in  Amerika  einmal  als 
Schnelllaufer  geschlagen  hatte.  Als  ich  in  den  fiinfziger  Jahren  auf 
meiner  Reise  nach  Deutschland  durch  Paris  kam,  empfand  ich  grosse 
Lust,  den  alten  Filou  in  den  Tuilerien  zu  besuchen,  aber  verschie- 
dene  Umstande  hinderten  mich  daran.  Dennoch  sollte  ich  ihn  zu 
Gesicht  bekommen,  und  auch  die  Kaiserin,  die  schone  Eugenie,  die 
ich  bis  dahin  noch  nicht  kannte.  Eines  Tages  befinde  ich  mich  nam- 
lich  in  den  Elysaischen  Feldern,  als  es  plotzlich  heisst:  Der  Kaiser 
kommt! — Auch  die  Kaiserin?  frage  ich. — Auch  die  Kaiserin!  ent- 
gegnet  man  mir.  Ich  drange  mich  vor  und  stehe  bald  in  der  ersten 
Reihe  des  Spaliers,  welches  von  den  Spaziergangern  gebildet  wird. 
Der  Wagen  mit  dem  kaiserlichen  Paare  rollt  heran,  aber,  o  wehe, 
die  Kaiserin  sass  auf  der  mir  entgegengesetzten  Seite,  und  da  sie 
unablassig  zur  Chaise  hinausgriisste,  so  ware  es  mir  unmoglich  gewe- 
sen  ihr  Gesicht  genau  sehen  zu  konnen,  wenn  Napoleon  mich  nicht, 
als  ich  den  Hut  abnahm,  bemerkt  und  zu  ihr  ganz  laut  gesagt  hatte : 
Siehe,  da  steht  Strubberg! — Darauf  hin  wandte  sie  sich  herum  und 
ich  sah,  indem  beide  mich  freundlichst  griissten,  ihr  pikantes  Ge 
sicht,  voll  spanischer  Grazie. 

"Wahrend  meines  damaligen  Aufenthaltes  in  Paris,"  fuhr  Ar 
mand  fort,  "fand  ich  am  Schaufenster  eines  Buchladens  Heine's 
Romanzero  ausgestellt;  da  ich  dieses  Werk  meines  Jugendfreundes 
noch  nicht  kannte,  trat  ich  ein  und  kaufte  es.  Nun,  sagte  ich  zu  dem 
Verkaufer,  der  arme  Heine  ist  also  endlich  seinen  Leiden  erlegen, 
denn  ich  hatte  in  einer  brasilianischen  Zeitung  gelesen,  dass  er  in 
einem  italienischen  Irrenhause  gestorben  sei — aber  nein,  sagte  der 
Buchhandler,  Herr  Heine  lebt  noch,  zwar  sehr  elend,  aber  noch  bei 


Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg  149 

vollem  Verstand. — Wo  wohnt  er? — Rue  d' Amsterdam,  Numero  so 
und  soviel ! — Ich  springe  hinaus,  nehme  mir  gar  nicht  die  Zeit,  erst 
in  einen  Fiacre  zu  steigen  und  laufe,  was  giebst  du,  was  hast  du,  in 
die  Rue  d'Amsterdam,  Nummer  so  und  soviel,  vier  oder  fiinf  Trep- 
pen  hinauf,  bis  ich  vor  seiner  Stubenthiire  stehe.  Ich  schelle,  ein 
Weib  tritt  mir  entgegen,  schon  wie  der  Morgen,  die  himmlische  Ma- 
thilde.  1st  Heine  zu  sprechen?  frage  ich  sie. — Ich  bedauere,  erwi- 
dert  sie,  Henry  nimmt  keine  Besuche  mehr  an. — Mich  aber  wird  er 
annehmen!  rufe  ich.  Mich,  seinen  besten  Freund!  Sagen  Sie  ihm 
nur,  dass  Strubberg  da  ist! — Aber  da,  na,  da  hatten  Sie  ihn  horen 
sollen?  Rein  mit  dem  Strubberg!  schrie  er  aus  dem  Nebenzimmer, 
rein  mit  dem  Strubberg !  als  ob  er  geradezu  toll  geworden  ware.  Die 
alte,  Hebe  Stimme  war  es  noch,  ich  stiirzte  in  seine  Kammer  und 
wiinschte  lieber,  dass  ich  draussen  geblieben  ware,  denn  was  musste 
ich  sehen?  Auf  einem  Bette  lag  ein  Ding,  das  wie  ein  Zwerg  aus- 
sah,  wie  ein  Gnom,  ganz  zusammengeschrumpft,  mit  einem  dicken 
Kopf  und  rothen  Haaren.  Das  war  mein  Freund  Heine — mit  sei 
nen  durchsichtigen  Fingern  schlug  er  sich  eines  der  geschlossenen 
Augenlider  in  die  Hohe,  sah  mich  an  und  stohnte :  Ja,  du  bist  es,  alter 
Junge! — und  dann:  Champagner,  Mathide!  Nun  sollen  die  lustigen 
Tage,  die  wir  in  Gottingen  und  Kassel  und  Hamburg  verlebt,  wie- 
der  neu  emportauchen !  Weisst  Du  noch,  "da  sass  ich  armer  Jiingling 
zu  Kassel  auf  der  Wache" ! — Mir  wurde  es  dabei  ganz  narrisch  zu 
Muthe,  denn  nun  ging  das  liebe  Leben  wieder  los  und  ausser  der 
Stimme  war  an  dem  lieben,  alten  Burschen,  den  ich  wegen  seiner 
gottlosen  Denkungsart  vor  vierzig  Jahren  so  manchmal  durchge- 
rammelt  hatte,  absolut  nichts  mehr  iibrig  geblieben!"  So  erzahlte 
Armand,  unstreitig  in  der  amiisantesten  Weise  Wahrheit  und  Dich- 
tung  untereinander  mischend,  sodass  man  ihm  Stunden  lang  zuhoren 
konnte.  Beziiglich  seiner  Behauptung,  Heine,  welcher  von  Gottin 
gen  aus  in  seinem — Strubbergs — vaterlichen  Hause  in  Kassel  haufig 
verkehrt,  wegen  seiner  irreligiosen  Ansichten  durchgepriigelt  zu  ha- 
ben,  sei  erwahnt,  dass  Armand  oftmals  seinen  christlichen  Stand- 
punkt  betonte  und  darin  soweit  ging,  dass  er  zu  Anfang  der  8oer 
Jahre  ernstlich  den  Gedanken  aussprach,  eine  Eingabe  an-  den 
Reichstag  zu  machen,  in  welcher  er  Protest  gegen  verschiedene  Mit- 
glieder  desselben  erheben  wollte,  da  dieselben  notorische  Atheisten 
seien  und  aus  diesem  Grunde  nicht  in  die  Volksvertretung  eines 
christlichen  Staates  gehorten. 


AMERICANA   GERMANICA 


MONOGRAPHS   DEVOTED   TO  THE   COMPARATIVE  STUDY   OF  THE 

Literary,  Linguistic  and  Other  Cultural  Relations  of 
Germany  and  America 


EDITOR 

MARION  DEXTER  LEARNED 

University  of  Pennsylvania 


CONTRIBUTING  EDITORS 

H.  C.  G.  BRANDT  J.  T.  HATFIELD 

W.  H.  CARRUTH  W.  T.  HEWETT 

HERMANN  COLLITZ  A.  R.  HOHLFELD 

STARR  W.  CUTTING  HUGO  K.  SCHILLING 

DANIEL  K.  DODGE  H.  SCHMIDT- WARTENBERG 

A.  B.  FAUST  HERMANN  SCHOENFELD 

KUNO  FRANCKE  CALVIN  THOMAS 

ADOLPH  GERBER  H.  S.  WHITE 

JULIUS  GOEBEL  HENRY  WOOD 


PUBLICATIONS  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  PENNSYLVANIA 


NEW  YORK 
D.  APPLETON  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHING    AGENTS 


AMERICANA  GERMANIGA 

MONOGRAPH  SERIES. 

1.  Translations  of  German  Poetry  in  American  Magazines  1741-1810. 

By  Edward  Ziegler  Davis,  Ph.  D.    234  pp.     Price $1.65 

2.  The  Harmony  Society.     A  Chapter  in  German  American  Culture 

History.    By  John  Archibald  Bole,  Ph.  D.    179  pp.    30  Illustra 
tions.     Price $1.50 

3.  Friedrich  Schiller  in  America.    A  Contribution  to  the  Literature  of 

the  Poet's  Centenary,  1905.    By  Ellwood  Comly  Parry,  Ph.  D. 

117  pp.     Price $1.25 

4.  The  Influence  of  Salomon  Gessner  upon  English  Literature.     By 

Bertha  Reed.    119  pp.    Price $1.25 

5.  The  German  Settlement  Society  of  Philadelphia  and  Its  Colony, 

Hermann,  Missouri.    By  William  G.  Bek.    193  pp.    Price $1.50 

6.  Philipp  Waldeck's  Diary  of  the  American  Revolution.    With  Intro 

duction  and  Photographic  Reproductions.     By  M.  D.  Learned. 

168  pp.     Price $1.50 

7.  Schwenkf elder  Hymnology  and  the  Sources  of  the  First  Schwenk- 

f  elder  Hymn-Bo  ok  Printed  in  America.     With  Photographic 
Reproductions.    By  Allen  Anders  Seipt,  Ph.  D.    112  pp.    Price.    $2.00 

8.  The  Settlement  of  the  German  Coast  of  Louisiana  and  the  Creoles 

of  German  Descent.    By  J.  Hanno  Deiler.    With  Illustrations. 

136  pp.     Price $1.25 

9.  Early  German  Music  in  Philadelphia.    By  R.  R.  Drummond,  Ph.  D. 

112  pp.     Price $1.25 

10.  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin"  in  Germany.    By  Grace  Edith  MacLean,  Ph.  D. 

102  pp.     Price $1.50 

11.  The   Germans  in    Texas.    A    Study  in   Immigration.    By   Gilbert 

Giddings  Benjamin,  Ph.  D.    161  pp.    3  Illustrations.    Price $1.50 

12.  The  American  Ethnographical  Survey.    Conestoga  Expedition.    M. 

D.   Learned,  Director $2.00 

13.  Swedish  Settlements  on  the  Delaware  1638-1664.    With  6  Maps  and 

150  Illustrations  and  Photographic  Reproductions.  By  Amandus 
Johnson,  Ph.  D.     Two  Volumes.     908  pp.     Price $6.00 

14.  National  Unity  in  the  German  Novel  Before  1870.     By  Roy  H. 

Perring,  Ph.  D.     75  pp.     Price $1.25 

15.  Journal  of  Du  Roi  the  Elder,  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant  in  the  Service 

of  the  Duke  of  Brunswick,  1776-1778.    Translated  by  Charlotte 

S.  J.  Epping.     189  pp.     Price  $1.50 

1 6.  The  Life  and  Works  of  Friedrich  Armand  Strubberg.    By  Preston 

A.  Barba,  Ph.  D.    151  pp.  4  Illustrations.   Price  $2.00 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


5  2s 

7/*rt 

-  ?\f\~j 

<93$ 

.'.  l  d  i997 

RECEIVED 

SFP  1  3  1997 

•    *»    *jjf 

/~Mr}O;    .(     A-r,  ,-,. 

^-»'nl>ULAl  IUN  OE 

-'•'. 

LD  21-95m  7/37 

The  life 
of   Friedric^h 
"Strubberg 


382077 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


